Wonton Wishes And Fortune Cookie Dreams

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-02T19:39:00.000-06:00

Happy 2011 to everyone! I can't believe how fast the last few months have flown by. Since our last post we've celebrated two additional LID-anniversaries (woo hoo), received wonderful SP gifts, celebrated Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year with family/friends, and have had continued success on our weight-loss/healthy living journey.

I'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to our wonderful SP. We received some wonderful scrapbook embellishments/stickers that will be put to very good use. In addition, the softest/sweetest pink blanket I've ever seen. (It feels like mink and has a satin ladybug on it - soooo soft - I want to sleep with it.). A musical snail, the book Lullaby Moon, and super cute panda hat - that made me squeal with delight when I opened the envelope. The camera is out of commission right now so sorry for the lack of photos. The final gift exchange was in December and although our gift hasn't arrived yet - I'm sure it will soon. I can't wait to find out the identity of our SP. It has been fun participating in the exchange - but all good things must come to an end.

I also wanted to say that I'm taking an extended break from blogging. I haven't been around much, and when I am it's just to announce another LID-anniversary. The countdown to our referral is taking a lot longer than expected, and while we continue to wait with hopeful hearts, announcing another anniversary doesn't bring me the joy it once did. So, I'll be back one day - once we get closer to actually receiving a referral. In the meantime, I wish everyone still waiting all the best, and hope those that are home with their children are enjoying life as a family.

Happy 2011 to all - may this be a year of health, happiness, and a C*C*A*A* speed-up :-)

Happy 43!!

2010-10-21T13:40:00.000-05:00

It's that time again ...

Happy 43-month LID anniversary to us! Still keepin' the faith and hangin' in there. Here's to 43 months of waiting behind us and hopefully less than 43 months to go :-)

42 & A New Look :-)

2010-09-21T15:02:00.001-05:00

42-woo hoo!!

Today we celebrate being logged in for a total of 42-months. Happy anniversary to us :-) We're still hanging in there and waiting ever so patiently (most days) and not so patiently (the other days). Life is busy and we are enjoying it. Fall is just the best time of the year - the change of the seasons is so refreshing!

... And speaking of change, how do you like the new look? I L-O-V-E it - in fact, I'm doing the happy dance in my seat as I type right now. As you'll recall from my post below, I entered the chance to win a blog makeover from Bushel and a Peck Designs. Although I didn't win the makeover, Christie made me an offer I just couldn't refuse, and bam! just like that I have a new blog. Christie was amazing to work with and the experience was wonderful. I'm blown away by her talent and her ability to take the image in my head (that I didn't share with her b/c I didn't want to infringe on her creativity) and turn it into a blog design. How does she do that - and so quickly to boot??? If you are ever in the market for a blog makeover I HIGHLY recommend Bushel and a Peck Designs - she is fabulous! Thank you Christie so very much for all your hard work - it is very much appreciated!

In other news, I'm sooo excited as my favorite show of all time starts again tonight. Biggest Loser is back. I so love Tuesdays. Tonight's gonna be a good - good night :-)

A Chance to Win...

2010-08-31T18:31:00.005-05:00

Win what you ask???

A blog makeover that's what :-) Woo hoo!! Christie from a Bushel and a Peck is giving away the chance to win a total blog makeover and I entered. Goodness knows I could use it since I've been staring at the same pink/brown for the last 4-years. Oh boy it's really been that long - yikers. Don't get me wrong - I love pink and brown - but lately I've been in the mood for a change and this could be just the thing to force me in a new direction. Time will tell.... wish me luck.

Oh, and if you haven't visited her yet - you have to check the Bushel and a Peck crew out - Christie's writing style is just the best and her heartfelt honesty just blows me away. Oh, and her babies are pretty cute too :-) OMG they are ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!! Truly, when I'm having a bad day all I have to do is pop over to her blog and peek in on Quint & Keira and I'm smiling again. Stop over and say "hi" she'll love it.

TTFN (ta ta for now)

41 :-)

2010-08-22T21:19:00.004-05:00

41-months ... a day late :-)

Yesterday we celebrated our 41-month LID anniversary by participating in the Caribou Coffee Hoot Owl Classic. It was an evening bike ride that took us to various parts of Minneapolis we'd never seen before. Our "flight" took off at 7:30pm and we finished in just over 2-hours. When it was all said and done we biked a total of 16.8 miles. It was a beautiful night for a ride despite the muggy conditions and we can't wait to do it again next year. The evening was a hoot!! (Sorry - couldn't resist.)

41-months behind us and roughly 310-referral dates ahead of us. We're making progress. Slowly but surely we're making progress.

SP Goodies :-)

2010-08-14T12:00:00.004-05:00

A box of goodies - woo hoo!!

We received a box in the mail a few weeks ago from our Secret Pal full of some really great gifts. The theme from the last exchange was "Accessories", and our SP was right on the money with these goodies.

I am a huge compartment junkie so I was thrilled to receive not one, but two storage type gifts. The milk powder dispenser has 3 compartments and the little storage bowls with spoon will be perfect for on the go lunch/snacks. These are definitely coming to China with us when the time comes.

We also received a package of secure-a-toy straps and a sun shade for the car window. In all it was a great box of goodies and we can't wait until the time comes when we can use these items with our little one.

The next exchange theme is "scrapbook fun". I'm super excited about this one b/c I LOVE to scrapbook. I plan to combine two of my passions (scrapbooking with reading) and create an alphabet board book. It will be a China specific book filled with words/pictures from our trip. Each page will feature one letter from the alphabet. I will then place a word and picture on the page that represents that letter. For example, "P" is for "Panda" or "N" is for "Noodles", the possibilities are endless. To personalize the book I plan on using as many pictures of our daughter with us as possible. The alphabet book will be a great way to showcase some wonderful memories from our trip and will also serve as an excellent learning tool one day.

The book itself will be somewhat small ~ approx. 5x5. I am going to have it wire bound and each of the wires will be tied with fun colored ribbon. All of the pages will be modge-podged to protect them wear and tear. My goal is to complete the body of the book (background papers adhered, letters cut out, etc...) before we leave for China so once we get home all I will have to do is add the pictures, text, and modge-podge. I can already see the finished book in my head and I can't wait to start working on it. Scrapbook fun indeed!

Thank you SP for the wonderful "accessories". I can't wait to see what arrives on our doorstep next month. The surprise and anticipation are killing me :-)

The Big 4-0

2010-07-21T22:43:00.005-05:00

Happy 40-months :-)

Today marks our 40-month LID anniversary. I really, really, really hope we are "over the hill" and on the down side of the wait. Time will tell - so for now we wait.

We're still smilin' though and in the words of the New Kids On The Block "Hangin' Tough". (Yes, I was a HUGE fan in my teen years - posters on the walls, books, magazines, buttons, music and even NKOTB barbie dolls - yep dolls. In fact, I ran into Donnie Wahlberg by accident while on a trip to NY with my family. We had a brief conversation in a hotel elevator, but I was so star struck that I forgot to ask for an autograph. Ohhh Kelly ... I still shake my head at that one. ... Good times.)

Night all :-)

Quilt 1 ~ Done :-)

2010-07-18T17:34:00.004-05:00

Finished!!

I finished work on the first of two "100 Good Wishes" quilts I'm making for our daughter. I'm so happy with how it turned out, and despite a few mishaps, can't wait for our little one to enjoy it when she finally becomes part of our family.

For more details on the project and a few more pics check out the full post here.

Next step ~ finish the scrapbook that accompanies this blanket and start work on quilt 2 :-)

Month 39 :-)

2010-06-21T21:11:00.005-05:00

Happy 39!!

We're lookin' good and feelin' fine.

This has been a busy summer for us thus far. It seems like we are running every weekend and will be through the end of July. Good times with family and friends so we can't complain. We are trying to reserve the month of August for yard work and house projects. The exterior of our house is in desperate need of some TLC. This of course means that we need to stay home, which is easier said than done these days.

I'm also trying to finish up on the first of two "100 Good Wishes" quilts. Um - yeah, those were supposed to be done by now, but - um, well, time has just gotten away from me. Soon. I just keep telling myself that - soon. I mean if I keep saying it - it's bound to be true one of these days right??

Happy Summer :-)

SP Thank You!!

2010-06-13T19:57:00.004-05:00

Thank you SP!!

I'd like to send out a belated thank you to our super great Secret Pal. The "April" gifts arrived in the mail a few weeks ago and this is what we received:

1. The DVD of The Inn of the Sixth Happiness starring Ingrid Bergman.
2. on the go diaper/wipes holders in blue with brown polka-dots.
3. The Nibbler by Nuby, which is a baby teething device.
I can't wait to watch the movie. It takes place in China. Ingrid plays a missionary who wins the heart of an Eurasian colonel and the respect of the local Mandarin. Her greatest accomplishment however is leading 100 homeless children to safety. Our SP said it was one of her favorites, and I love "old time" movies so I think we've got a winner on our hands.
You may ask "why the blue/brown color combo?" Well, in the letter that accompanied the gifts our SP said that for the last few months she's had a "burning feeling that your child is going to be a boy. I can't explain it, but I can't make myself get anything pink for you b/c of this feeling." Very interesting.... We will be blessed and excited with any child that is referred but I'm wondering could that happen??? We specified gender on our paperwork and I've just assumed ever since that we will be referred a baby girl. Hmmmm, something to think about that's for sure. Only time will tell, and it looks as if we'll have plenty of that on our hands.
Thanks SP for the great gifts and movie treat for us. We are looking forward to the next swap and I'm dying to know if that "burning feeling" is still with you.

38 Is Great!!

2010-05-21T23:34:00.004-05:00

Happy 38!!

Today we celebrate being logged-in for 38-months and all is well on our end. We're waiting, waiting, waiting, and in the meantime loving the warm weather and sunshine. It's amazing to me how fast time flies between May - October. It seems like it will be over in a blink and it's only just begun. Now if only winter would go by just as quickly. We are looking forward to the loooong Memorial Day weekend and all of the running we'll be doing this summer.

In other news, I completed my first mini-triathlon last weekend in Houston, MN. The race was run on Saturday and consisted of paddling a canoe for 6.8-miles, biking for 8-miles, and running/walking a 5K. Todd and I (along with his brothers/sisters and their spouses) all competed and had a super great time.

I was VERY nervous at the start - mainly b/c Todd and I had never canoed together before and I wasn't sure if we'd be paddling or swimming. We got off to a bit of a shaky start but managed to pull it together and had a very enjoyable jaunt down the river. Biking was by far my favorite part of the race, and we power-walked the 5K. Todd and I started the race together and finished together in 3-hours 5-minutes. No, we weren't out to win - our goal was to finish and we managed that with no problems. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I'm looking forward to doing it again next year. It was a great day :-)

Late - I'm Late For A Very Important Date :-)

2010-04-27T12:04:00.006-05:00

Late - so late...

Last week we celebrated our 37-month LID anniversary. I would have liked to post but I was bundled up under the covers battling a nasty spring cold. The good news is that I'm finally feeling better, and hope that's the end of being sick for a good long while.

In adoption news, not much has changed since the last time I posted. The wait continues and we keep hangin' in there.

Wouldn't it be great if we were blessed with another 6-day referral month in May - we'll see what happens. Here's hoping the summer is filled with super hot/sunshine days and lots of C*C*A*A referrals.

36 Months!!

2010-03-21T23:39:00.003-05:00

36-Months - Wow!

Today we celebrate being logged in 36-months. I can hardly believe that it's been 3-years. The time has gone so slow and so fast all at the same time. I honestly thought we'd be further along in the wait by now - but that's not the case. Only time will tell how much longer we have to go, and we are doing our best to remain optimistic.

This is a big week for the number "36". I turn 36 on Friday. Yikers!!! So for this month at least our LID and I will be the same age. For my birthday this year I'd like a million dollars and for the C*C*A*A to catch-up. A girl can wish right???

:-)

SP Thank You!!

2010-03-13T10:09:00.005-06:00

THANK YOU!!!!!

I would like to send a belated thank you to our wonderful Secret Pal for the "February" gifts. We received two Ni Hao, Kai-Lan books, a step-by-step Chinese & Asian cookbook, and a red envelope to celebrate CNY with a lucky coin inside.

The gifts are very much appreciated and will be used often. Under the Stars is one of my favorites because it's a play-a-sound book with buttons that allow you to hear seven words/phrases in English and Mandarin. Very cool! We love Kai-Lan and can't wait until the day comes when we can introduce her and her friends to our little girl.

Thanks SP - you rock!!

Happy 35 :-)

2010-02-21T15:15:00.002-06:00

Happy 35 to us!!

This month and next month our LID and I will be the same age. Too funny. I'm currently 35-years old, and today we celebrate 35-months of waiting in line with the C*C*A*A. The same thing will happen again next month when the magic number is "36". Yikers! Although life is busy right now (which is a good thing), the thought of our daugter is always present, and here's hoping we won't have to wait another 35-months to see her face.

Double Anniversary :-)

2010-01-21T22:00:00.006-06:00

9-Years & 34-Months!!

Each January Todd and I celebrate 2 very special anniversaries right in a row. The first is our wedding anniversary, and the second - our LID Anniversary :-)

Yesterday (Jan. 20) we celebrated 9-years of wedded bliss. I really can't believe that it's been that long already. I look back and keep asking myself "where did the time go"??? It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating our special day with family and friends - I can't believe that 9-years have passed by in such a flash. January 20, 2001 was the happiest day of my life thus far. Todd is not only the bestest husband in the entire world, he's also my best friend, love of my life, and soul mate. I'm so thankful for all the time we've had together and look forward to spending many more years together as a happy family. "L" for Love Hon - "L" for Love :-) (Name that movie - anyone ... anyone ... - it's from Dodgeball, one of our favorites.)

Today (Jan. 21) we celebrate month 34 of being logged in with the C*C*A*A. At present, referrals have been completed through 4/3/06, so, we still have a good bit of waiting left to do. I think it will be very interesting to see how things go this year. My hope is that with a new Director in place we'll see a tiny bit of a speed-up. Only time will tell, but with the new year comes fresh optimism and right now that's all I've got.

In other news ... woo hoo, we received presents. Oh how I love presents! I'd like to send a special thanks out to our super great Secret Pal, and thank her for the wonderful photo albums and beautiful ornament that she sent as part of the December package. I can't wait to put the ornament on the tree next year, and to fill both albums with pictures of our sweet baby girl. The gift was perfect - thank you so much for sending it!!

I'd also like to thank our special friends Jodi & Alan for the surprise package that arrived just before Christmas. The Chinese lantern lights are beautiful and the little sun/beach outfit that you picked-up while cruising is GREAT!! The lights will look wonderful in Baby Girl's room (once we put it together that is), and the beach outfit will be perfect when spending time at the cabin with Grandma and Grandpa. Thank you so much for thinking of us. I've said it before and I'll say it again - you guys ROCK!!

In other news, we've deemed 2010 as the year of health and fitness. Todd and I are bound and determined to get back into pre-wedding shape and change our ways for good. There's no time like the present, and with the support of one another, and both sides of the family, I've no doubt that by the end of the year we'll have reached our goals. So here's to a super great, happy, and healthy 2010. Cheers!!

Happy 33-Months :-)

2009-12-21T18:16:00.007-06:00

Happy 33!!

Today we celebrate 33 months of being logged in with the C*C*A*A. Now that we've hit the "thirty's" it seems like we've come soooo far even though we still have a long way to go. The good news is that progress is being made and March 2006 is finally finished. We have just under a year of LID's ahead of us and the countdown is on.

We are currently renewing our paperwork and have applied for the "Grandfathered I-600A". We just received fingerprint notices and a fingerprinting we will go on the afternoon of January 8th. I really didn't expect the notice to arrive so quickly, but I won't argue with it. Here's hoping we'll have the actual renewal by the end of January.

In the meantime, we are both looking forward to Christmas and I can't believe it's only a few days away. I'm looking forward to short work weeks, spending time with family and friends, opening presents, wishing for a great New Year and of course eating my fill of all the yummy treats. Bring on the tray of cut-out cookies Mom :-)

The video below is from a group that has been around for quite awhile, but I was just turned onto them this year. They are called "Straight No Chaser" and I love their version of the "Twelve Days of Christmas". Just click on the picture and the video should play. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year!!

Happy 32!!

2009-11-21T17:43:00.003-06:00

Happy 32 :-)

Today we celebrate being logged-in for 32-months. It seems like we should be happy celebrating that number, as it should mean that we are getting closer to our referral. However, not so much. The C*C*A*A has not issued referrals this month, and the rumor on the street is that it's doubtful that any will be released in November. So for now we are at a stand-still. It is very disheartening - and I'm most sad for those who are "next" in line. I think the closer you get the harder the wait so I can only imagine the pain they must be feeling right now.

In other news, we had a meeting with Ava (our Social Worker) a few weeks ago. She is in the process of writing a new homestudy for us so we can stay current with our paperwork. I was just notified that it's ready to go (woo hoo), so the next step will be to fill out the "Grandfathered I-600A" forms and send them in.

Although Todd and I aren't GB Packer fans I had to post the above picture because as soon as I hit "publish" on this post we are headed to Green Bay for the game tomorrow. We've both always wanted to see Lambeau Field and his boss gave us 4-tickets to the game. Very exciting. So we're off to the frozen tundra to see our first professional football game outside. It's going to be mid 50's and sunny - a beautiful day for the game. So although it may pain us to do so I'll end with the famous "Go Pack Go" :-)

**Update**
The game was a ton of fun and the weather couldn't have been better. The highlight for me was the fact that the UW Wisconsin Marching Band was there - woo hoo!! They played at half-time and in the "Fifth Quarter". They ROCK! It was a great day and lots of fun!!
I also want to send a shout-out to my SP for the gifts that arrived this weekend. We received a beautiful tin of Moon Cakes and a variety of hair pretties. So cute! We haven't acquired the taste for Moon Cakes yet, but we are working on it. Thanks SP for thinking of us. Best of luck to you as you continue to get settled in your new home and with your business :-)

31-Months :-)

2009-10-21T14:02:00.010-05:00

Happy 31-Months to us!

Still hangin' in there.

Still pluggin' along.

Still keepin' the faith.

30-Months :-)

2009-09-21T21:31:00.003-05:00

Happy 30-Months!!

Today we celebrate our 30-month LID-anniversary. Yikers - that seems like such a big number. When we first started I remember telling myself that if we could just make it to "30" we'd have it made. By now I was sure the wait would be just about over and we'd be packing our bags and planning the trip to China. Ahhh - how things change. Yes, we've come quite far - but we still have a looooong way to go. We'll get there one day - I know that for a fact, and in the meantime, while the monthly count continues to get bigger, at least the number of referral days ahead of us will continue to get smaller.

In other news, we are preparing to update our paperwork again. Although we are "grandfathered-in", BCIS requires that we submit a new homestudy that is more Hague compliant. So, we're in the process of scheduling visits with our Social Worker, filling out new forms, and preparing updated financials/medicals/employment verifications, etc...

Todd and I made a field trip to the local police department last Friday night for fingerprinting. I know - exciting date night huh? At least we didn't have to go to the bowels of the jail this time. Non-criminals are now fingerprinted in a separate area that actually turned out to be nothing more than a giant storage room/closet. I can't complain though b/c I'd take a stuffy closet over the actual jail area any day. These prints are for the "Adam Walsh Background Check", which is new to us, and separate from the fingerprints that will need to be taken later this year. Honestly though, to me it's just another hoop we have to jump through and another check we have to write in order to become parents. Yes, I know it will all be worth it in the end, but this part of the process is frustrating to me and always will be.

On a positive note, the rumor on the street is that referrals *may* be issued this week, and the C*C*A*A *may* get as far as 3/29/06. I've got my fingers crossed that this rumor holds true. Bring on the referrals and bring on the babies!!

Our SP Strikes Again!!!

2009-09-04T11:14:00.004-05:00

Presents - Woo Hoo!!!

I'd like to send another HUGE thank you out to our March Mulberry Secret Pal for the wonderful gifts we received as part of the August exchange. The theme for this month was "summer fun" and our SP didn't disappoint. We received a lovely beach cover-up (that will go quite nicely with the swimming suit we received from our SP last year), pop-beads, hair pretties (always a favorite), and Bento boxes/accessories.

Bento boxes rock and I'm a huge fan of these little guys. I was so excited when I opened the package and came across these little boxes of fun. I think I may have even squealed with delight. I first learned of Bento boxes via the Salsa twins and I remember thinking "what a wonderful way to serve lunch". They are so cute and allow you to serve healthy food in a fun way. For picky eaters what could be better. Ever since, I've always planned on finding Bentos of my own and having a stock on hand when our daughter comes home. Well, our SP beat me to it and provided us with boxes and accessories to start our collection. Woo hoo!!! (For those of you who know me - you know that I LOVE any type of compartment, box, or container, so Bento boxes are right up my alley. In fact, they rank right up there with "hair pretties" and we all know how much I love those little accessories - a wide array of Bento boxes will definitely be in our future.)
Ok - moving on to the "pop beads". I'm not sure if that's the actual name of this toy or not - but that is what we called them growing up. The reason being is that they look like giant beads to us, and when you pull the linked beads apart they make a "pop" noise. Hence the name and it's stuck ever since. Pop beads are so cool to play with - we used to link all of the beads together and make crowns and necklaces - super fun. I love the new colors/shapes that the beads come in these days. In fact, I've already played with them, and although Mr. Todd wasn't around to see the new crown placed upon my head I explained it all to the kitty, and we both agreed that these toys are great. I for the crown/necklace possibilities and Noel (the kitty) because she liked batting the loose beads around on the floor.

So thank you again SP for the great gift assortment. All of the presents are much appreciated and will definitely be put to good use when our little one joins the family - or in the case of the pop beads before b/c they are too fun not to play with right now :-)

Happy 29 & Many Thanks!!

2009-08-19T19:01:00.012-05:00

Happy 29 to us!!

On Friday we will celebrate our 29-month LID anniversary. I'm posting early b/c we'll be at a wedding on Friday and I won't have much computer time between now and then. Ahhh, what a difference a month makes. Last month at this time I was very grumpy and having a hard time with the wait. Today I'm in good spirits and can't believe how fast the time is flying by. It's a crazy journey we're on - good days, bad days, long days, short days - all we can do is hang on and make the best of the ride. As far as updates go, we're still waiting for the next round of referrals to be issued. According to RQ, the early projections are that the C*C*A*A has completed referrals throuh 3/24/06, which would mean 2-days. It's not much, but at least it's something :-)

Earlier this month I participated in a blogger book swap and it was a ton of fun. Kim of the blog J o urney t o Isabella organized the exchange and actually wound up being my partner. She sent me the book "God Made Me In China" by Kristy Rodriguez. What a wonderful story, and one that I can't wait to share with our daughter when the time comes. As Kristy states on her blog, "it is a story of adoption and about the differences God gives us, but how he loves each of us just the way we are". What a wonderful message. Thanks again Kim - I love it!!

I'd also like to thank my Secret Pal for the wonderful gift of clothing. I swear she is single handedly stocking our daughter's closet all by herself. I actually had to go out and buy hangers. How fun, my first set of baby hangers - woo hoo :-) We received a variety of outfits including short sets, a sweet little dress, pair of jammies, and outfits for spring or fall. She also included a package of hair pretties, which was wonderful b/c as we all know, no outfit is complete without this essential accessory. Thank you very much SP for the great gifts. I hope you are settling into your new house and loving every minute of it!

I'm off for now - time to prepare for the wedding and finish laundry. Night all!!

**Special Note**

This special note goes out to Kristine who works at our dentist office, keeps us on track with appointments, and is also a great friend. I was wrong when stating in my last post that I enjoy being fingerprinted about as much as going to the dentist. Seeing you (and Heather) is the highlight of the visit and actually makes the appointment fun. So, I take back what I said and will replace "dentist" with "doctor". Ok? ok :-)

28 Oh 28

2009-07-21T23:05:00.004-05:00

Happy 28 to us.

Today we celebrate our 28-month LID anniversary. The summer is flying by and although we are enjoying the season, it would be so much better if we had our daughter here to enjoy it with us. The rumor on the street is that 2-days of referrals were issued this month (actually today), and well, that's just not what I was hoping for. The whispers of a speed-up have been floating around for some time now, but I'm starting to think that is never going to happen. Perhaps things will pick up this fall or winter? Today the wait has me down.

I'm a huge fan of countdowns, so in an effort to lift my spirits, I've decided to start counting down the days until our referral arrives. We now have 364-days ahead of us. Each month, based on the number of referrals issued, this number will go down. It might only be by 1 or 2 days, but it will continue to decrease, and as long as it keeps getting smaller I will be happy. I'm also counting down, b/c I'm interested in knowing just how long it will take to get through these next 364-days. It's any one's guess right now, but I really really really hope that we will have traveled to China and back by the end of 2012.

In other news, our fingerprints will expire in October. According to our paperwork we need to submit a renewal request 2-months prior to expiration, so next week I'll be drafting a letter and writing a check to BCIS. I enjoy getting fingerprinted as much as I enjoy going to the dentist. In other words, not at all. I understand the need for it once - but I'll never understand why they expire. To me it seems nothing more than a waste of time and money - Uggg!!

Tomorrow will be a better day, and my mood will improve soon I promise.

27 :-)

2009-06-21T22:03:00.002-05:00

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy 1st Day of Summer!!

Happy "27" Months to Us!!

It was a fun-filled day visiting with family and enjoying yummy Chinese food for dinner. I can't believe how fast the summer is flying by. I'm almost finished with the first "100 Good Wishes" quilt, and will post more on the quilt blog soon.

In all, it was a good day, made even better by the news that referrals came out on Friday. Preliminary results indicate that the C*C*A*A is through 3/20/06, which means that we have exactly 366-days of referrals ahead of us. One year, and one day. Still no idea on how fast those 366-days will go by, but we are getting there - a little bit at a time.

Happy 26, A SP Thank You, & Quilt Plans...

2009-05-21T23:04:00.009-05:00

Woo hoo - Happy 26 :-)

Another month down and, oh happy day, it appears that things are moving forward once again!! According to the RQ site, not only has the C*C*A*A box changed to 3/14/06, but referrals arrived in the US today. What a perfect LID-Anniversary gift :-)

Speaking of gifts - I want to send a huge shout out to my wonderful Secret Pal. Thank you so much for the wonderful gifts that arrived over the past 2-months. The music cd's, bibs, diaper baggies, plates, silverware, little toys, and super great hair pretties are awesome and very much appreciated. I have them all stashed away for safe keeping until the day our little one arrives.

In other news, I have finally decided on a design for one of the two "100 Good Wishes" quilts that I will be making for our daughter. A "rag quilt". I have seen this style blanket everywhere lately and fell in love with it the minute I first saw it. After searching the web for instructions, and with a good bit of help/advice from Cora, I managed to make a doll-sized practice quilt. It was so much fun, and I'm really happy with how it turned out. What's even better, I found the fabric that I plan to use for the back of the quilt. It is pink, which I love, and has little pictures of hearts, flowers, and ladybugs. Best of all though is that it is also printed with a variety of "wishes". For example, love, believe, wish, play, create, etc... It couldn't be more perfect. When I came across it in the store it stopped me dead in my tracks and I just knew that was the one. I can't wait to start sewing.

It's off to bed for now, and only 1-more day until the long weekend. Woo-hoo, what a great day!!

25-Months!!

2009-04-21T12:37:00.002-05:00

Happy 25-Months To Us!!!

24-Months!!!!

2009-03-21T20:41:00.007-05:00

24-Months - Yikers!!

As of today we've officially been logged-in for 24-months. Yes, 2-years!! I remember thinking when we first started this journey (back in the spring of 2006) when I'd come across blogs of other waiting families that had hit this milestone, or were close to it, that there's no way I'd be able to wait that long. Yet here we are on month-24. We made it - and while I'm thankful that those months of waiting are behind us, the wait continues on. I've resigned myself to the long wait. I'm ok with it, really I am. I just keep telling myself that "everything happens for a reason", and "our time will come", but every so often that terrible thing known as "doubt" rears its ugly head and I wonder "will it???". I guess that's all part of riding the roller coaster named "adoption" - and today, when "doubt" started creeping into my thoughts I shoved it out of my mind and answered with a resounding "YES, IT WILL" - because in the end if you don't have hope, you don't have anything right? Right! So today we celebrated, enjoyed the day, and had fun!! "Happy 24-Months" to us, may there be less than 24-months left to go :-)

In other news, I have to share with you one of life's best day brighteners - presents! there's nothing better than opening up your mailbox and finding a box with your name on it. Well, today that happened and woo hoo, the bows I ordered from "Sara Beth Bows" arrived. They are soooooo cute, and turned out better than I ever imagined! I love, love, love them. The "panda bows" are by far my favorite as they remind me of Ping Ping, the giant stuffed panda we purchased last year. The "flip flop bows" are in honor of my mom who practically lives in these shoes from April - October, and the "korkers" are just so springy and fun. I'm in hair pretty heaven and lovin' every minute of it.

Bow-licious :-)

2009-03-12T14:52:00.004-05:00

Bows oh wonderful bows!!

I've discovered, as we await the arrival of our daughter, that I'm a "hair pretty" junkie. That's right, I've fallen for everything hair related from those cute little clippies to bows of all shapes and sizes. Thanks to my Secret Pal, I'm well on my way to having a nice collection of goodies to use on my sweet baby once she arrives. In the meantime though I still go ga ga over every hair pretty I see. So, imagine my delight when I just happened across the most wonderful bow blog that I've ever seen. I kid you not, this site has bows and clippies of every shape, style, and size imaginable. I was in heaven, and bummed when my super quick lunch on the go ran out and I was still drooling over all of the choices. I'll be back to purchase for sure - bows oh wonderful bows :-)

The best part of finding this site???? The super duper "March Bow Giveaway!!!". That's right, free bows will be given away on April 1st, and there's still time to enter. So click on over to Sara Beth Bows and enter for your chance to win, and while you're there enjoy the huge selection of sweet handmade hair treats. Oh happy day!!!

You Might Be Adopting From China If....

2009-03-02T20:23:00.010-06:00

(An adoption take on Jeff Foxworthy's "You Might Be A Redneck")

The wait for our little girl seems to keep growing and growing, but with each new day comes hope, and we're in it for the long haul. On those days when it seems like we'll never receive our referral it is nice to look at the list below and know we aren't alone. So for everyone waiting for a referral from China hang in there - our day will come!

I've been told that this was originally posted by Kari Avery of the "FCC-Toledo Yahoo! Group", but we received it through an e-mail from our friends Jodi & Alan . As I read each point I just kept nodding in agreement as this fits us to a tee.

You Might Be Adopting From China If...

... you know that I-600 & I-171 aren't highways

... you've been expecting a baby for over 3-years

... you understand that it's 2006 in some parts of the world

... you've "paid for" 3-citizenship's & not brought anyone into the US

... you know that waiting for China has nothing to do with dishes

... your homestudy is followed by a number (i.e., #3 or #4)

... you never know how many days next month will have

... you know that babies come in batches

... you've been fingerprinted 4-times, but never committed a crime

... you automatically assume everyone who's expecting is having a girl

... you own clothes in 3-sizes for all 4-seasons (b/c you don't know when or how big)

... you look twice when you see a ladybug

... you're more interested in what happens in "March-2006" than in "March-2009"

... you know people & understand when they talk about 2-day months & 5-day months

... your due date hasn't changed by days, but by years

... you know who the Rumor Queen is & you don't know who she is

... you know the "forecast" has nothing to do with the weather

... you've waited so long, they re-checked your fingerprints to see if they changed

... trying to understand why they're printing you again, you study your own fingerprints & wonder if they've grow wrinkles

... when you speak of "that time of the month" you're talking about CCAA updates/referrals

... you love someone you've never met with all your heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

23 :-)

2009-02-21T23:32:00.003-06:00

23 23 23 23 23!!!

Twenty-Three Twenty-Three Twenty-Three Twenty-Three Twenty-Three Twenty-Three Twenty-Three Twenty-Three Twenty-Three Twenty-Three

It's hard to believe that in only one short month we'll have been logged-in for exactly 2-years. Where does the time go? All is well on our end - still waiting, hoping, dreaming and repeating. I have a feeling we'll be doing this for quite a long time to come :-) So in the meantime we'll enjoy marking off month "23" and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

The Next Best Thing to Receiving a Referral....

2009-02-08T17:50:00.005-06:00

Is making it out of review!!!

Yes, that's right we are through the "Review Room". We are just so excited that we can hardly stand it. We've been waiting for this moment since our paperwork was sent off to China 2-years ago. We've cleared final review and are one step closer to receiving our referral. Now all we have to do is just keep on waiting and dreaming and praying and hoping :-)

When I first found out the good news I cried, and shouted to my co-worker the good news. She told me immediately to call Todd and I did. He was taken aback at first b/c it's not often that he receives a phone call from a crying wife, and if he does it usually isn't good news, but I explained to him that I was crying happy tears, so that made it all better :-) We celebrated by having dinner at PF Chang's, and it was sooooo yummy.

It still doesn't seem real to me - but once in awhile it hits me that we're through and I just smile. Little by little we're getting there :-) The e-mail confirmation from our China coordinator is below. Oh happy day!!

"Hello Families,
I want to share the most recent update from CCAA with you below.

Here is CCAA's update:Document Processing

The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before March 31, 2007.

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before March 02, 2006.

As you can see, the referral process in China is continuing to be very slow. Right now, due to Chinese New Year, CCAA has been closed and no files have been processed for the last week or so. Many families travel home to visit with their families and friends during the New Year break. It is a very busy and festive time in China. The Chinese New Year time will conclude with the Lantern Festival on Feb. 9.

I wish you all a Happy New Year in the Year of the Ox!"

2-2 Two Anniversaries :-)

2009-01-21T23:00:00.005-06:00

Nice play on words huh? 2-2 as in the "number 22" and "double anniversaries" :-)

This has been a busy anniversary week for us. Yesterday we celebrated our 8-year wedding anniversary, and today we celebrate being logged-in 22 months. I can't believe that we've been married for 8-years already when it seems like just yesterday I was walking down the aisle in a veil and white dress. I still wish to this day that I could turn back the clock and do it all over again. We had such fun at the wedding, and what I wouldn't give to be getting on a big giant cruise ship right now and escape winter with a second honeymoon. Alas, it's not meant to be so I'll have to settle with looking back at all the pictures and bundling up to escape the cold.

On the adoption front the LID-anniversaries keep coming and going yet I don't feel like we are making much progress. A week or so ago the rumor on the street was the C*C*A*A was going to get through a good portion of March. Now it's looking like we'll be lucky if they hit 2-days. It is what it is, and yes, each day brings us one step closer so I can't complain. Our time will come. I'm still holding out hope that March-07 will make it out of the "review room" in the next month so we can finally put that hurdle behind us. Until then, we wish, hope, dream and repeat. (That saying came from a blog, but for the life of me I can't remember which one - so unfortunately I can't give the owner credit. I can tell you that it's been in my head since I first read it roughly 2-years ago.)

So, with all that said, happy anniversaries to us, and good night to all of you :-)

Gifts Galore!

2009-01-11T14:22:00.007-06:00

Gifts, gifts and more gifts :-)

I have mentioned in the past that we have an extremely generous Secret Pal, and she/he proved it once again with the December exchange. The theme for this month was "toys" (a great choice in my opinion b/c of Christmas). Our wonderful SP sent us a kitty webkin, 2 dolls, a super soft book, and a sweet set of hair pretties. I've no doubt that our little girl will love playing with these great toys one day, and I'll be in my glory playing with the hair pretties.

So thank you very much for your generosity SP - it is much appreciated! Here's hoping that 2009 takes us not only out of the "Review Room", but also brings us a ton closer to our referrals and seeing our baby's faces for the first time.

A "Golden" Anniversary :-)

2008-12-21T14:06:00.008-06:00

"21!! 21!! 21!!" Today we celebrate our "golden" LID-anniversary. As of today, we've been logged-in a total of 21-months on the 21st of the month. Yeah for us!! I have no idea how many more months it will take before we receive our "golden ticket" (i.e., our referral), but we're in for the long haul so we wait.

Right now I'm enjoying getting ready for Christmas and celebrating with friends and family. I was hoping that Santa would bring us the gift of making it out of the "review room", but no such luck. Let's hope by our 2-year LID-anniversary we'll have cleared that milestone. Now I'm off to start wrapping gifts. I feel like I'm a bit behind, but in the end it will all get done, it always does. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

In honor of our special day we've once again decided to "Elf Ourselves". It never gets old, and always brings a smile to our faces. (Click on the image below to watch us dance.)

Happy 20 To Us!!

2008-11-23T14:40:00.004-06:00

On Friday we celebrated our 20-month LID anniversary. I know I've said this before, but time seems to be moving so very slow and so very fast all at the same time. When I stop and think back on when our journey began (spring of 2006) it seems like ages ago. However, in reality (or at least right now) it seems like we blinked our eyes and boom - 2 years melted away. I think that might be b/c we are in a good place in our lives right now, and as we approach the holidays we are both really happy and look forward to spending time with family and friends.

Don't get me wrong, there's still nothing I'd like more than to be on a plane to China right now going to get our baby girl, but for the time being, we are at peace with the wait. I may not be saying that come January, but at least for now life is good and we celebrate 20-months with smiles on our faces and happy hearts.

Sweet Dreams Thank You!!

2008-11-05T13:38:00.003-06:00

The theme for the October Secret Pal Exchange was "bedtime" and once again our SP went above and beyond in sending us our package. We received two pair of really cute jammies, an adorable onesie, more hair pretties, a cute little music player and beautiful taggie blankie. All of the gifts are very much appreciated, but my favorites have to be the hair pretties (I'm obsessed with hair pretties and always will be), and the taggie blanket, which was handmade by our SP. It is so soft and silky, perfect for the little hands that will one day play and snuggle with it.

Thank you SP - you ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

19!!

2008-10-21T21:09:00.005-05:00

Another month gone and we couldn't be happier :-)

Big Giant Thank You!!

2008-10-14T18:41:00.009-05:00

I'd like to send out a big, giant, super-duper, thank you to everyone that signed the I-600a petition mentioned in our previous post. USCIS announced today that all "transition families" (that's us) who've already obtained their 1-time free extension, will be allowed to file one new I-600a if needed and continue on with their adoption.

With the wait times in China stretching out longer and longer, I'm quite sure we'll need to file again, and I'm breathing a huge sigh of relief that the I-600a will remain a part of our lives for the next few years :-)

So, what does this all mean? Well, according to the example below, when our free extension expires in January 2010 we'll be able to file and pay for a new I-600a. That will extend our paperwork out to July 2011. Then if needed, we'll be allowed one additional free extension that will take us to January 2013. After that, if we still don't have our referral, we'll be forced to file the I-800a, and start over. I'm really hoping that our daughter will be home before then, and we'll be living as a happy family, but you just never know. For now though I'm not going to worry about it. Instead, I'm going to rejoice and be happy about the news we received today, and sleep soundly for the first time in almost a week :-)

To read the official USCIS announcement click here. The example I mentioned was taken directly from the FAQ page on the USCIS website. The scenario below pertains specifically to our case.

EXAMPLE:

Form I-600A was approved, with the approval expiring on August 1, 2008. The applicant requested and obtained a one-time extension, with the new approval period expiring February 1, 2010. In January 2010, they still have not filed a Form I-600. On February 1, 2010, they file a new Form I-600A. The “grandfathering” of the original Form I-600A will be extended to include the new Form I-600A, since it was filed before the approval of the original Form I-600A expired. The new Form I-600A is approved, with the approval (after one extension) expiring March 10, 2013. On March 10, 2013, the applicant files yet another Form I-600A. This third Form I-600A is not grandfathered, since, although the expiring Form I-600A was grandfathered because the first Form I-600A was grandfathered, the expiring Form I-600A was actually filed after April 1, 2008.

Your Help Is Needed!!

2008-10-08T23:45:00.006-05:00

When Todd and I started our adoption journey just over 2-years ago we knew we'd be in for a bumpy ride, after all, with the good comes the bad and no one ever said international adoption was easy. However, it seems as if we've been thrown another curve ball, one which could have a negative impact on our plans to adopt from China.

The long and short of it is that the rules changed when the US ratified the Hague Convention earlier this year and instead of being allowed to renew our I-600a paperwork we may be forced to start over and file under the I-800a. (The I-600a/I-800a is required for all families adopting internationally. It allows us to bring a child into the country and finalize our adoption. Without approval from the US we won't be able to bring our little girl home.)

If we are forced to use the new form, not only will we be required to gather new background checks, medical information, financials, etc... and compile a new homestudy there is also the possibility that we will need to conform to the new rules set in place by the C*C*A*A. We don't qualify under the new rules, so unless something changes we may not be able to complete our adoption.

Next week a petition will go in front of Congress asking them to change the laws to protect families in our similar situation. It is our position that we should be "grandfathered in" and be allowed to continue our adoption under the rules in place when we began our journey in August 2006. We would really appreciate it if you would take the time to sign the petition and help us in this fight.

If you would like to sign the petition please click here. You will then be directed to a website that explains in detail the issue at hand and the proposed resolution. If you scroll to the bottom of that page you will then be able to click on the "sign the petition" link and your name will be added.

Thank you in advance for your help and support. It is our hope that this issue will be resolved and new laws put into place before we need to renew our paperwork again at the end of 2009. Until then we wait and pray for the best.

Happy 18 - Cough, Cough, Cough

2008-09-21T16:14:00.005-05:00

Today we celebrate our 18-month LID anniversary. On the inside I'm jumping up and down but on the outside I'm sick and can't seem to stop coughing. What started as a little cough earlier in the week has now turned into some awful, all consuming, body racking, chest rattling cough that has really kicked my arse. My head hurts from coughing so hard. My body hurts from coughing so hard. I feel like my lungs are bruised from the inside out. Agggg - I really don't have time for this nonsense. The "12-hour" cough medicine I took earlier today worked for all of 2-hours. I have a feeling a doctor visit is in my future and I'm not looking forward to that. Stupid cough - why won't you just go away??? I'm going back to bed now. Night all :-(

Bloggy Friend Get Together :-)

2008-09-14T17:42:00.005-05:00

Todd and I belong to the "March Mulberries Yahoo Group", which is an on-line group for families adopting from China with March 2007 log-in-dates. It is a wonderful way to stay connected with people around the world in the same boat as we are. It is also a wonderful way in which to make new friends.

We met Jodi & Alan shortly after joining the group and discovered they have a LID of 3/22/07, which is one day after ours. If everything goes well, we could potentially be in China at the same time, and are sooo excited at that possibility. Jodi and I began an e-mail friendship that has grown over time, and we were finally able to meet in person on Friday night - so EXCITING!!!! (She and Alan are on vacation this week and as part of their travels came through Minneapolis.) We met for dinner at a Chinese restaurant in the heart of Dinkytown, on the U of M campus, and it was a wonderful evening. It was as if we'd known each other for years! We started with a super yummy dinner and then took a walk around campus. By the time we finally made it back to our cars and parted ways it was close to 9:30pm! Where did the time go??? I was sorry the evening passed so quickly, and can't wait until we get together again. Ours is a friendship that will last a lifetime and I only wish we lived closer together :-)

On a separate but related note, today we celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. The Moon Festival is one of the two most important holidays in the Chinese calendar (the other being Chinese New Year). During the festival Chinese family members and friends gather together to admire the bright harvest moon and celebrate by eating moon cakes. (Information taken from Wikipedia.) Jodi and Alan were kind enough to give us a gift package with a Moon Festival theme. We received tin of authentic moon cakes and a Full Moon Fairy doll. Unfortunately the picture doesn't do the doll justice. She is BEAUTIFUL and is dressed in traditional Chinese clothing and comes with a lotus light. It is said that when she throws the light into the sky it becomes the moon, which then shines down on the earth below. What wonderful gifts and so thoughtful. Thank you Jodi and Alan we can't wait to break into the moon cakes, and the lovely doll will be put away for safe keeping.

Wonderful friends, food, gifts and fun - what a great weekend!!!

In the Words of Our Nephew William ------ "One - Two", "Two Thank Yous!!"

2008-09-08T17:23:00.014-05:00

Our nephew William, just turned two a few weeks ago, and his vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. He's a smart little guy who already knows his colors, can count, and recites the alphabet. I'm blown away by this and keep forgetting that he's only 2!! He is now starting to understand the concept of "multiples", and lately when he recognizes more than one of the same thing/item he'll let everyone know. For example, if his Grandma Mary and Grandma Nancy are in the room together he'll point to each one and say "one - two", "two grandmas". This just cracks me up. So in honor of Sir William, this post serves as "one - two", "two thank yous" for our SUPER GREAT SECRET PAL :-)

The first thank you (which is looong overdue) is a thank you for the wonderful books we received as part of the June exchange, which centered around a children's book theme. Not only did we find ourselves the recipients of a variety of different titles, we also received a cute "baby on board" sign, more hair pretties (just can't get enough of those) and a fun little toy. I am a HUGE book lover and have been since I was a little girl. One of my favorite things to do is read and in my spare time I'd rather read than do almost anything else. This is one trait that I'd love to be able to pass on to our daughter, and as a result, have quite the book collection started for her already. I just can't help myself, and books are the one thing I feel safe buying so whenever I need some "retail therapy" I head to the nearest Barnes&Noble and shop the night away :-) When the gift arrived, I was beyond thrilled to discover that these were all new titles to add to our library and immediately sat down and read each one. I loved them all, but I have to tell you that reading "Motherbridge of Love" brought me to tears, and I still cry each time I read it. What a lovely poem and so fitting for any adoptive parent. So, thank you SP for these treasured gifts. We'll think of you each time we read them to our sweet little one.

The second thank you is for the awesome presents that arrived today. Woo Hoo!! Who doesn't like coming home to find a box sitting by the garage door just waiting to be opened???? Especially on a Monday - rock on!!

The theme for August was the "Olympics", and once again our SP out-did herself. Not only did we receive perfect presents, but the note that accompanied the package was just the best. I have a very creative Secret Pal, see for yourself as her note is posted below.

"Dear Kelly,

The theme for August was, of course, the Olympics. I was finally able to shop according to the theme, though it's very hard since there are so many cute baby things and I want to buy with free reign, despite themes.

First: Requiring great coordination and skill is the ring-stacking event, a great favorite among the smallest of competitors.

Second: A headband in case your little girl works up a sweat. Also important to the competition, a pink and white bow to throw on when she reaches the medal stand and needs to look her best.

Third: Hydration is key to maintaining strength and endurance throughout the games.

Fourth: A special star-spangled bikini that leaves no doubt as to which country she's representing, just in case she wants to follow in the wake of Michael Phelps.

And Fifth: Just in case of muscle strain or minor injury, a Boo Bear to make it all better.

I hope you are enjoying the wait, regardless of how long it is.

-- Your Secret Pal"

As the judge of the "Secret Pal Olympic Themed Shopping Event", my blog - my rules ;-), I'd say that was a gold medal performance. You may now take the podium as the medal ceremony is about to begin :-)

So, thank you again SP for the lovely presents. We really appreciate the thought and effort you put into each gift and we can't wait for the day when we can share all of these wonderful goodies with our baby girl.

Cybershower Thank You!!

2008-09-07T15:02:00.003-05:00

Recently Todd and I participated in our first ever "cybershower" with the March & April 2007 Yahoo Groups. We were matched with Jim & Cora, and it was a ton of fun. Not only did I get to shop (which I love), but we also got to meet a wonderful couple who is not only adopting from China, but also Burundi. It will be so much fun to follow their journey and hopefully we'll be able to keep in touch as we wait for our referrals to arrive.

We exchanged gifts with one another and I couldn't be more pleased with our wonderful presents. We received the cutest ladybug sleeper with bib, hat and hair pretty, as well as the book "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" by Mo Willems. I have to say that this book is awesome and fits our family to a tee. I found myself laughing as I read it, because I can't tell you the number of times I've tried to beg and plead to get my way only to be told "NO!". I took the book with me to my parent's cabin over the Labor Day weekend and it became a favorite of my 5-year old niece, who is just like her Auntie and tries everything to get her way :-) I've since learned that there are other books written about the Pigeon, and I've no doubt they will be added to our growing library very soon.

So THANK YOU Jim & Cora for the beautiful gifts. We appreciate them so much and can't wait for the day when we can share them with our daughter.

PS - If it were up to me, I'd let the Pigeon drive the bus - he's just too cute to say "no" to, and what can I say, I'm a sucker :-)

"17" On A Stick!!

2008-08-21T19:34:00.008-05:00

Today not only marks our 17-month LID-anniversary, it is also the first day of the "Great Minnesota Get Together" aka "The Minnesota State Fair" where everything is served on a stick :-) As much as we love the fair, it always means the end of summer, and I'm sad to see it go. I remember thinking in May that the 4th of July would never get here and then boom! just like that it's the end of August and the Labor Day weekend is fast approaching. I guess with being super busy at work, watching the Olympics and running every single weekend it's no wonder that the last month has flown by - but you won't catch me complaining for long because each month that passes by brings us one month closer to our daughter, and that thought always brings a smile to my face :-)

Last weekend we were in Wisconsin Dells visiting with family and on our last night there we decided to stroll around Downtown Dells for a little shopping. As we headed back to meet up with the rest of the group my sisters and I stumbled upon a little store offering palm readings. After a little hemming and hawing my sister Kimberly and I decided to go for it and in we walked. Having my palm read is something I've always wanted to do, so while Kimberly sat down for a Crystal ball reading I gave my palm over to the very nice man across the table from me. Looking back now I can't remember most of what he said, but a few things stuck with me and I'm anxious to see if they come true.

1. I have a very long life line and will live well into my 80's

2. My love life is secure and my husband and I will be together for a very loooong time :-)

3. There are 2 children in my future (perhaps the twins we are hoping for???)

4. Within the next 2-years I will travel over a very large body of water

5. Said trip will be taken with someone very close to me and will be a very happy experience

That last point really got my attention, and although he couldn't expand on it any more than that, I'm taking it to mean that we will be traveling within 2-years for our daughter - or perhaps daughters - woo hoo. Whether that happens or not - only time and the CCAA will tell, but it's something to think about and perhaps I'll be able to look back on this post and say "he was right" with a big smile on my face, and two babies on my lap.

For now though I'm counting the days until it's our turn to go to the State Fair and eat our way around the park. I'm craving a corn dog in the worst way, and Mr. Todd can't wait to sink his teeth into a Scotch Egg (hard boiled egg wrapped in yummy sausage and served on what else, a stick). Bring on the fair food :-)

It's Here!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-22T22:25:00.002-05:00

Woo hoo - our I-171H arrived in the mail today. I can't believe it. I never thought it would arrive so quickly and without being questioned further. Our free extension was approved/granted and is good until January 2010. Our fingerprints expire in October 2009, so for now all we truly have to do is wait, wait, and wait some more. Did I mention we will just be waiting :-) Our next hurdle is getting through the review room and I'm hopeful that by the end of summer March-07 will be processed by the CCAA. I'll be sleeping soundly tonight with visions of I-171H's dancing in my head. Night all!

Sweet Sixteen :-)

2008-07-21T22:39:00.004-05:00

Mr. Ben here the guest poster for the evening. Now that I finally have arms my whole world has changed. I can type for one and hold the "Happy 16" sign. So, to my creator and her husband, Happy 16th month LID-anniversary to you both! Keep your chins up for although the wait is long, your daughter is waiting at the end of this journey, and once she's home the years of yearning will fade from your memory and be replaced with family joy.

That Mr. Ben - what monkey :-) Here's a quick update on our I-171H renewal. We were fingerprinted on 7/3/08 and I was less than pleased with the wait time at the BCIS office. Our appt. was at 2pm, we arrived at 1:50pm and an hour later, were finally called back to be printed. What is the point of having an assigned appointment time it if isn't going to be honored??? Needless to say I was frustrated. I still don't understand why we need to renew our prints every 15-months, and when I posed the question to the lady taking mine, she didn't have any idea either. At the very least you think they'd be able to answer that question. I mean it's part of their job after all. Oh well, it's over now. I filled out the comment card they gave us and expressed my unhappiness. Hopefully it will help in the future and the next time around our appointment time will be kept. Now all we do is wait and hopefully our renewal will be processed without any problems. We had Chinese last night for dinner and my fortune said something like "good news will be sent to you soon". I'm taking that to mean all is well with our renewal request and an updated I-171H will be on its way to us shortly.

Half Way There????

2008-06-21T21:58:00.009-05:00

Happy 15 to us, -- happy 15 to us, -- happy 15 month LID anniversary, -- happy 15 to us. We celebrated today with a yummy Chinese dinner, and a wonderful surprise from the Department of Homeland Security. Oh happy day, our fingerprint notices arrived, and I'm breathing a huge sigh of relief.

The time has come for us to renew our I-171H and I'll be honest , I'm a little nervous about the "free extension" process. I hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying this, but it seems like there should be more to it. I sent in the request on 6/13/08 (Friday the 13th - yikers) via certified mail, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best. On Wednesday the little green card arrived in the mail and I felt better knowing that the envelope made it to the BCIS office. On Friday we received a letter from the Dept. of Homeland Security stating they'd received our fingerprint renewal request and we'd be contacted within 6-weeks. Well BCIS must be processing requests at the speed of light because our fingerprint appointment cards arrived today, and on July 2nd at 2:00pm Todd and I will appear once again and have our prints taken.

So, it looks as if we are making progress and the renewal process thus far has gone smoothly. I won't be happy though until that precious piece of paper is firmly in my hands and we can sit tight for the next 18-months. Who knows, maybe by then we'll have our referral and be on a plane to China. One can dream right???

14-Months & China On Our Mind

2008-05-21T20:48:00.014-05:00

Today marks our 14th month LID-Anniversary, and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in China as they continue to recover from the devastating earthquake that took place May 12th in the Sichuan province. The 7.9 quake has left an estimated 5-million people homeless, and was responsible for approximately 41,000 deaths thus far. Countless numbers of families have been torn apart, hundreds of children left orphaned, and entire communities were flattened. This is the deadliest earthquake to hit China since 1976.

Organizations such as Love Without Boundaries and Half The Sky Foundation are taking donations to help those in need with not only immediate but long-term needs. If you have an opportunity I strongly urge you to donate as every penny will make a difference.

(Thank you to Kristen for the use of this photo.)

Ladybug Treats!!

2008-04-27T23:48:00.006-05:00

In the China adoption community ladybugs are considered a sign of good luck and the theme for our "secret pal exchange" this month was none other than ladybugs. Our SP outdid herself once again this month and sent us some lovely gifts. We received two little dolls, a sweet pair of socks, a mini board-book of "Peter Rabbit" another set of beautiful hair pretties and the most WONDERFUL hand-made romper. It is just too precious, and I can't wait for the day when our little girl can be seen running around the house it it. I only wish I had one tenth of the sewing talent that our SP has. These gifts, along with all of the others will be put away for safe keeping until that day arrives and will be treasured forever. Thank you SP - you are the best!!!

The ladybug gifts didn't stop there though - on the same day as our SP gift arrived we received a second package from good friends of ours in MI. Jodi and Alan, who have a LID of 3/22 (one day after ours) sent a sweet little onesie, ladybug hair pretties, a beautiful jewelry box and heart sandwich cutter. It was such a wonderful surprise, and again, I can't wait for our little one to arrive so we can use these gifts as well. Jodi mentioned that she bought the same onesie for their little girl to be. Wouldn't it be great if we were in China at the same time and were able to get a picture of our little ones in the cute little onesies together??? China or bust Jodi - China or bust!

Lucky Number 13 :-)

2008-04-21T10:51:00.009-05:00

I must have looked at my calendar for at least an hour this morning before I truly realized what day it was. Duh! Today is our 13th LID-Anniversary. I can't believe that I almost missed it. I blame it on the fact that it's Monday and while my body may be at work, my mind is still at home searching for missing monkey parts. No, that wasn't a typo, I am indeed looking for monkey parts.

.... It started back in February when I took a knitting class and we knit from scratch a giant "sock monkey". I finished the class and successfully knit a head/body, two legs, tail, two arms, and two ears. The bag of parts has been sitting on my desk begging to be stuffed so I decided to have at it this weekend. With the head/body, legs, tail, mouth and ears all stuffed and attached, all that remained were the arms. Do you think I can find them? No! I've searched high and low - I've basically turned my house upside down and no luck, the arms are gone. I've even resorted to asking the kitty if she took them and to please give them back. She just looks at me like I'm nuts, and even if she did take them, won't fess up as to where they are. So, it looks like I'll be making new arms this week because I can't handle looking at Mr. Ben (his given name per the pattern) any longer without arms. It just isn't right, I mean look at him, all he seems to say is "please give me arms ... I really need arms". Never fear Mr. Ben, new arms and a hat will soon be yours even if I have to turn into a crazy knitting fool to make it happen.

**Disclaimer**
I started knitting last summer. This is the first project of this type that I've attempted, and my largest project to date. I know he looks a little wonky, but for a first try he didn't turn out all that bad - well, except for the missing arms .... oh those arms ... where could they be?????

One, Uno, Un, Yi !!

2008-03-22T19:51:00.007-05:00

Happy 12-months to us!!!! Yesterday we celebrated our 1-year LID Anniversary - yippee :-) In some respects this last year has gone by super fast and in other respects it hasn't. I still can't believe that when we started this process we were under the impression that we'd have our little girl by now. But, like our new header says "the best things in life are worth the wait".

We celebrated by having dinner at P.F. Chang's and the food was wonderful!! We also toasted the special occasion by sipping on a Chinese beer - TSINGTAO. It was rather tasty and I can tell you we will definitely be toasting again when we touch down in China on the "big trip".

We are also celebrating the special date by working on what will one day be the playroom. I'll post before and after pictures once the room is finished, but for now I can tell you that we've ripped out the carpet, trim and doors, replace the light fixture and given the ceiling and walls a fresh coat of paint. We are headed off to dinner now, but once we get back we'll start to lay the new floor. It's a busy weekend in the Lienke household - but I'm lovin' every minute of it.

In other news, isn't our new blog header just wonderful? During the week-long birthday bash for China Digital Scrapbooks I entered a contest and won a free blog header. I worked with Diana of Custom Blog Designs to create this new look and just love it. Isn't it amazing the difference one small change can make? Thank you Diana for all of your help!!

This has been a wonderful year for us and I'm looking forward to the next 12-months. Congratulations to everyone celebrating an anniversary or special milestone this month.

Sweet Treats!!

2008-02-24T19:59:00.002-06:00

Once again our "Secret Pal" has showered us with some truly wonderful gifts. The cute outfit and hair pretties were a family favorite. The bibs will definitely come in handy one day, and as for the chocolate - well, that didn't stand a chance in our house :-).

Although the theme for this exchange was "Chinese New Year" our SP explained in a note that she couldn't find anything that she found suitable for a darling little girl, so she went with a "Sweet Heart" theme instead. Sweet indeed. It will truly be a joy when we can put these darling gifts to use.

Thank you SP - we loved the gifts :-)

Happy "11" To Us :-)

2008-02-21T12:47:00.002-06:00

Today marks our 11-month LID anniversary - o happy day!! Every day we get a little bit closer.

In other news, I've once again started my walking trek across the Great Wall. In the last few days I've managed to walk 8-miles, and consider myself off to a great start. Yesterday I was in a groove - but may have pushed a little too hard. Last night as I was going to bed I told Todd "there is a very good possibility that I won't be able to move tomorrow". Needless to say it was a rough morning. The phrase "Hurts So Good" comes to mind with every step I take. Today I'm thanking the inventors of both "Advil" and the "office chair". Here's to another 8-miles by the end of next week and a pair of happy feet :-)

Double Digits :-)

2008-01-21T17:09:00.000-06:00

Well, we've finally made it into double digits! Today we celebrate our 10-month LID anniversary. Oh happy day, another month down and hopefully less than 48 to go. I'm still holding out hope that our referral will arrive by the end of 2010 and although it's way too early to even start trying to predict its arrival it gives me hope to have a date to shoot for.

Speaking of hope. I was in Cub Foods (our wonderful grocery store) the other day and just happened upon a bin full of beanie babies. I've been looking for a panda bear to sit on my desk at work, and wouldn't you know there was one in the bin. So I picked him up and after checking his tag I knew that he had to come home with me. His name is "Wonton" and his birthday just happens to be March 21, 2007. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I'm taking it as a sign that our adoption is on track and one day we will bring home one, maybe two lovely babies. I was so excited that I bought 2, one for work and one for home. Then after telling Todd about it - I was back at Cub to purchase a bear for his office. So, we are now well stocked in the way of panda beanies and counting down the days to our 1-year anniversary (only 2 more months to go).

9 Is Fine!!

2007-12-21T15:43:00.000-06:00

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Today we celebrate our 9-month "LID Anniversary"!! Yeah for us :-) We wish everyone a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2008 is going to be great - I can just feel it!!

"Winter Fun" Giftie

2007-12-16T23:45:00.000-06:00

The theme for our December "Secret Pal" gift exchange was winter fun, and what fun it was to receive a gift in the mail this weekend. Once again, our SP did a fabulous job and sent us wonderful presents. We loved everything from the cute little frame, to the elephant, to the bath net, to the board book that will definitely make its way to China with us one day. I have to say however, that my favorite was the sweet little "hair pretties" that look like ladybugs. I can't wait until the day arrives that I can actually put them to good use. I can picture it now, our sweet little girl, running around the house, sporting spiky pig-tails :-)

Thanks Secret Pal!!

December 14th!!

2007-12-06T08:48:00.000-06:00

The CCAA made it through December 14, 2005 - hip hip hooray!! That's another 6-days closer. Little by little we are getting there - but we still have a loooooong way to go. Congratulations to all the families that received referrals this month :-)

8 is Great!!

2007-11-21T15:26:00.000-06:00

Eight is great!!! Today marks our 8-month LID anniversary and we couldn't be happier to have one more month out of the way. We are headed to Madison this year for Thanksgiving and as we sit down to a wonderful dinner with friends and family we will be counting our blessings and dreaming of one day celebrating with our daughter.

We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday. Enjoy the turkey, football and shopping the day after. Kohl's and JC Penney open at 4am and I'll be there - now which one do I go to first????? Decisions, decisions...

Gobble gobble :-)

8-Days!!!

2007-11-05T13:09:00.000-06:00

Oh happy day - the CCAA is through another month of referrals and they completed 8 full days :-) That's right - they are through December 8, 2005!! I was so excited to see the little CCAA box change that it just made my day. Here's hoping that next month they get through at least 8-more. Congratulations to all the families receiving referral calls today!

Happy Halloween!!

2007-10-29T09:56:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was a busy one, and while a good time was had by all, it was also a lot of work. On Saturday my company hosted an annual Halloween event at one of the shopping centers we own. I was the event coordinator, and as with last year I have been eating, breathing and sleeping Halloween for quite some time. You may remember the sea of treat bags that take over our house each year? If not, check out the picture at right.

On Friday night, Todd and I once again babysat the pumpkin patch and waited for the arrival of "The Great Pumpkin" (think Charlie Brown). We spent the evening hanging out in the mini-van watching tv and passing the hours watching for unruly kids. Although the Great Pumpkin was a no show, the police did pay us a visit, which scared the crap out of me. It's not every day a cop car pulls up right next to you and wants to know what you are doing there at 1:30am and why there is a tent in the parking lot. Todd was very good about the visit and explained what was going on - but I want to know why they decided to show up this year? I mean "knock knock puddin' head" we've only been doing this for the last 3-years, so why all of a sudden is it something new that needs to be checked out?

Moving on, the event itself was again a HUGE success, and I was super pleased with the turnout. The weather was beautiful, and as a result we had well over 500 children on site. Every treat bag and pumpkin were given away and the response from the community and tenants were wonderful.

I'd like to send a big THANK YOU to my parents, co-workers and hubby, who once again helped make this year a success. This truly was the best year yet!! I wish everyone a Spook-tacular Halloween, full of lots of tricks and treats. Enjoy!!

A "Secret Pal" Giftie :-)

2007-10-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

Todd and I belong to the "March Mulberries", which is a Yahoo group for waiting families. Members of the group have either DTC or LID's sometime in the month of March 2007. It is a great group to belong to and allows us to connect with other people who, like us, are waiting to adopt a child from China.

One of the group activities that we've chosen to take part in is the "Secret Pal Gift Exchange". Each person that participates is matched with a secret pal and then every other month we exchange baby gifts centered around a specific theme. October was the first month of the exchange and the theme was "Bath Time".

I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first gift and guess what??? It came!! Oh happy day. I was so excited that I could hardly wait to rip the envelope open. Our SP (secret pal) was just so very generous. We received a super cute lamb hooded towel, a set of stacking cups for the bath that when linked together look like a caterpillar, a package of toothbrushes and a super cute onesie that says "I don't have to be good ... I'm cute".

I am still so excited over the arrival of these gifts that I can hardly stand it. I've wanted stacking cups for the longest time. I can't tell you the number of times I've had them in my hand and then put them back saying to myself "next time". I'm so glad now that I didn't buy them. They are great and will definitely make the trip to China with us when the time comes.

The onesie was a family favorite and Todd loved it. He thought the saying on the front was great and I have a feeling it will come into play a lot at our house - at least while she is little. This little girl will have Todd wrapped around her little finger - I can see it now :-)

The "Secret Pal Exchange" will take place every other month from now until nsn referrals are given out, and all SP's will be revealed at the end of the exchange. So, if you don't want to know who your pal is don't look at the return address and/or postmark on the envelope. I want to be surprised so I didn't look at the postmark. However, my eye was drawn to the return address b/c there was a yellow piece of paper taped over the top of it that said something like "This is a secret gift - the return address is under this note and is only to be revealed if the package needs to be returned to sender". I tell ya - that SP is one smart cookie and I'll be using this technique on the next gift I send out.

So for now the wonderful gifts will be put away for safe keeping, and one day soon will be put to great use. I don't know if our SP reads this blog or now - but if you do - THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!

6 & 1/2 Months :-)

2007-10-08T12:21:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to report that we officially have 6 & 1/2 months behind us. Life has been soooo busy with work, house projects, craft project and yet another round of being sick that 6-months went flying by without me. I guess that's a good thing :-)

However, I have even better news to report - the CCAA is finished with November 2005 referrals - oh happy day. The last batch of referrals went from 11/26 - 11/30/05. That means only December '05 is left and then we move into 2006 - EXCELLENT!!

On the quilt front - squishes are still arriving and each one puts a huge smile on my face. I've extended the deadline to 11/15/07 for anyone still interested in sending squares and wishes our way. I can't wait to start working on the blankets. I'll be sure to update the quilt blog once the sewing starts. My first task of course will be to post all of the squishes that we've received - I seem to be a bit behind on that, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that knows me as I tend to be late for and doing everything :-)

Another One Bites The Dust....

2007-08-21T16:14:00.000-05:00

.... and another one's gone, and another one's gone, and another one bites the dust! Today we celebrate our 5-month LID anniversary. Woo hoo :-)

Disco Fever!

2007-08-18T14:47:00.001-05:00

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!
Today we celebrate an adoption milestone. One year ago our journey began when we submitted our application to our agency. At the time I never thought we'd get here. However, looking back, it seems as if we just blinked and poof 1-year has gone by.

We couldn't be happier knowing that we are officially "in line and waiting" for our daughter. With 4-months of CCAA time behind us, we hope that sometime in 2010 we will travel to China and bring our baby home.

So celebrate with us today as we dance the night away with a little disco fever baby. Have a wonderful weekend!

5 Things & 4-Months :-)

2007-08-07T12:50:00.001-05:00

I meant to post this last week - but managed to come down with yet another cold and my world came to a screeching halt. Summer colds are the worst - but at least it was short lived and I am healthy once again :-) So, thank you Heather for tagging me - now on with the post...

5-Things I was doing 10-years ago
1. I was working my first "real" job out of college
2. I refused to admit my hubby & I were dating - we were FRIENDS!!
3. I was adjusting to "real" life & trying to figure it all out
4. I realized who my real friends were & rid myself of those who weren't
5. I was helping my younger sister plan her wedding

5-Snacks I enjoy
1. Diet Coke
2. Oreo Madness
3. French Silk Pie
4. Onion Rings
5. Popcorn

5-Songs I know all the lyrics to
1. The entire Dirty Dancing soundtrack
2. Anything Christmas :-)
3. I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden - our adoption anthem
4. You're The One That I Want - Grease soundtrack
5. Hangin' Tough - Yes, I was a HUGE NKOTB fan :-)

5-Things I would do if I were a millionaire
1. Pay off all of our bills
2. Build a larger house with playrooms for everyone in the family
3. Bestow gifts of money on all of our family & friends
4. Vacation, vacation, vacation
5. Donate to a variety of charities in the US and worldwide

5-Bad habits
1. I'm never on time - it's terrible
2. I put everything off to the last minute
3. I am very stubborn
4. I can't turn a good piece of chocolate away
5. Diet Coke - I drink way toooo much

5-Things I like to do
1. Spend time with my hubby, family & friends
2. Crafty stuff (i.e. scrapbook, knit, crochet)
3. Read
4. Sleep
5. Vacation - especially Vegas Baby! Ching! Ching!

5-Things I would never wear again
1. Stirrup pants - ohhh they were bad
2. Asymmetrical hairdo (short on 1 side/long on other) - don't ask
3. Tight-rolled pants
4. Swimsuit without cover up - no sun for me
5. Eye shadow - it makes me look like a clown everytime

5-Favorite toys
1. Scrapbooking goodies
2. Yarn, knitting needles, crochet goodies
3. Books
4. Golf clubs
5. I-Pod

Now - before I end this post I have to report that we celebrated our 4-month LID anniversary on 7/21/07. Woo Hoo - 4-months down and hopefully only 32 more to go. Also, I've been fighting with blogger lately and he seems to be winning! I used to have a picture of the CCAA box on my sidebar - but this month when I went to update the photo it became all distorted and nasty looking. No matter what I tried it just wouldn't work. Does anyone know what might be causing this? I finally gave up and just deleted it from my blog - but would love to fix it if possible. Any help would be appreciated. That's all for now :-)

Minnesota Tragedy

2007-08-02T10:59:00.000-05:00

Last night, just after 6pm a tragedy struck Minneapolis when a main bridge collapsed during rush hour. As many as 50-cars were sent plunging into the Mississippi River and many others were sent flying as they fell upwards of 60-feet. The bridge was a major traffic artery for I-35w and crossed over the Mississippi River. As of this morning there are 4 confirmed deaths and approximately 20 people are missing. Although everyone is hoping for the best, efforts are now focused on recovery more so than rescue, and the death toll is expected to climb.

Todd's office is only a few miles from the bridge, but in light of the fact that we live in the north Metro he does not travel it often, and was not in any danger last night. Both of his brothers did take the bridge - but cleared it about 10 or so minutes before the collapse. Needless to say we were extremely relived to hear that hey were both "ok". Other members of our extended family live and work VERY close to the bridge - but thus far everyone has reported that they are fine.

Officials estimate that it will take approximately 2-years before the bridge can be rebuilt and I'm sure it will be weeks if not months before all of the debris can be cleared and cars removed from the river. It is a very sad day in Minneapolis, and our thoughts and prayers go out to all those effected by this tragic event.

Feelin' Crafty :-)

2007-07-11T23:10:00.000-05:00

It seems that the summer heat has turned me into a crazy crafting fool. What started out as wanting to crochet a simple baby blanket has snowballed into so much more, and I think I may have bit off more than I can chew. While struggling with a crochet pattern I went to the Yarn Cafe for help and the next thing I knew, I was signed up for a crochet class and knitting class. This is on top of the sewing class I started yesterday and the digital scrapbook class I will be taking on Saturday. Yikers - I really hope that I can keep it all straight and apply what I've learned when the time comes.

I think the key will be practice, practice, practice. That and a lot of different projects to keep me motivated. Now if I could only get organized. What I really need is a giant craft room - but sadly I've been relegated to the basement where I have a small area for all of my 'stuff''. Right now it looks like a bomb went off as fabric, ribbon, scrapbook supplies, yarn and quilt squishes are all over the place. I'm a messy crafter - but there is a method to my madness :-)

At any rate, in an effort to practice the basic sewing skills I learned last night I decided to make my own version of the 'Tag Blankets' that are so popular right now. Not bad for a first attempt - the corners could use some work - but overall I'm happy with how it turned out. It's just a little blankie - meant to be carried around and not covered up with. When the time comes I'd like to send it to our daughter as part of her care package. For now it will be put away for safe keeping and sometime in the next few weeks I'll try it again and hopefully the corners will be better.

A Brown Envelope Surprise!

2007-06-25T21:40:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how fast this summer is going - in just a little over a week it will be the 4th of July, and the summer will be half over. Crazy - just crazy! Todd and I were in Reno, NV last week for a visit with my dad and step-mom. The weather was WONDERFUL and we had a really nice time. We were able to take in a real, wild-west rodeo, visit Lake Tahoe, relax by the pool and hit a casino. It was a great getaway and nice vacation.

Although today was tough going back to work (when is it not coming off of a vacation), there was a great surprise waiting for me when I got home - our "Brown Envelope"!!! Hip hip hooray - it arrived from the US Consulate in Guangzhou. For those of you unfamiliar with the process, this is an envelope with forms/directions that need to be completed once we arrive in China. I was so excited - I honestly didn't think we would get an envelope as sometimes you do and sometimes you don't. So this little surprise made my day.

In all the excitement of our vacation and then the arrival of our envelope, I almost forgot that we have also celebrated our 3-month LID anniversary. That's 3-months down and hopefully only 33 more to go :-) Today was a good day on the adoption front - let's hope they continue!

A Little Panic - A Lot of Pain!

2007-06-07T09:25:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in a previous post that my baby sister is getting married in February. I am so happy for her and wish her all the best as she embarks on this new journey. Over the Memorial weekend we had a chance to “talk wedding” and you could just feel the excitement in the room. However, my excitement soon turned into a sense of panic when I realized the wedding is less than 34-weeks away and I am NOT (and I stress NOT) in bridesmaid dress shape. Yikers – this is not good.

Now I know that I need to loose quite a bit of weight – and my goal has always been to be fit by the time we leave for China. However, with a wedding right around the corner – my “Fit & Fabulous Mama” plan has been thrown out the window and “Operation Bridesmaid Dress” is in full swing.

I am bound and determined to walk down that aisle a lot lighter than I am currently and there is only one way to do it – the dreaded diet and exercise. Enter “pain”. On Monday I re-introduced myself to the treadmill and while I have faithfully been walking 1-hour a day for the last three days it has been quite a struggle. My legs, hips, arms, and parts I didn’t even know I had hurt. No pain, no gain right? Well I’m sure feeling the pain right now – I just hope the gain decides to show itself soon. My goal is to walk 5-days this week and with three down I only have two more to go. I can and will do it – but all I can say now is ouch.

What I want to know is why can’t losing weight be just as easy and fun as gaining? If only life worked that way. Oh well – come Monday part two of “Operation BMD” starts when I introduce my body to a new diet. It’s going to be a rough few weeks – uggg.

2-Months & Counting!!!!

2007-05-21T08:19:00.000-05:00

Today marks our 2-month LID anniversary. Oh happy day. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. In the last month I've managed to finally shake all traces of being sick, hold a garage sale to boost the adoption fund, send out all of my Yahoo Group squishes (quilt squares & wishes), congratulate my baby sister on being engaged, and cheer Todd on as he competed in his first mini-triathlon. Yikers - if it keeps up like this the next 18-36 months will fly by so fast that I'll blink and the next thing you know we will be in China :-)

This weekend marks the beginning of summer (at least in my mind) as Memorial Day is next Monday. We are headed to my parent's cabin for the long weekend and I can't wait. With how busy we've been last month it will be nice to relax for a few days and float on a boat in the middle of the lake.

So, until I post again, which I hope will be more often now as things start to slow down for us again, I'll leave you with a video I remember fondly from my childhood. It is a classic Sesame Street clip of "2 little girls in a little dollhouse". I thought it was appropriate as we celebrate 2-months down. Have a great week and super great long weekend to all of you that celebrate Memorial Day!

We're "Paperwork Pregnant"!!!!

2007-04-23T20:50:00.000-05:00

I realize that it has been a really really really long time since my last post - but my absence has been for good reason. What started out as a mere cold on March 25th has morphed into the stomach flu, pneumonia, and now bronchitis paired with a secondary infection. Yep - I'm going on one solid month of being sick and am none to pleased. I took my lunch today at urgent care and was given another dose of drugs. You know it's a bad sign when the pharmacist sees you coming and has your prescription in hand before you even make it to the counter. I sure hope this latest dosage works as I'm so sick of being sick. I really don't think my insides or head can take this constant hacking cough much longer. I just keep telling myself that maybe tomorrow I'll wake up and it will all just go away "poof" just like magic. One can dream right???

Moving on to more important things - OH MY GOODNESS - OH MY GOODNESS WE HAVE OUR LID (log-in-date). I'm still so excited that I can hardly stand it. We received a package from our agency on Saturday and there it was right there on the cover page - our date. The CCAA has logged us in as of March 21, 2007 - oh happy day :-). Had I been feeling better we would have gone out and celebrated - but in my mind I was jumping for joy and turning cartwheels. One day soon we will actually go out and honor the very special day.

For those family and friends that are wondering what this means I'll recap for you. The CCAA assigns everyone wishing to adopt a log-in-date or LID. By having this date it means we are officially in line and waiting for a referral. The next step is to make it through the CCAA review process and once we make it out of the final review room a referral will be forthcoming. In other words, we are officially "paperwork pregnant" and loving every minute of it!!!!

So, as if having a LID wasn't good enough, we can also report that we have officially been logged in for 1-month. All this time we were logged-in and didn't know it. Here's hoping that with one month down we only have 23 more to go.

Well, that's it for me - another dose of meds and a comfy bed are calling. Hopefully the next time I post I'll actually be able to use the "H" word "healthy" what a concept. Night all :-)

Pimp My Blog!

2007-03-31T18:18:00.000-05:00

I've been absent from blog world for the last few weeks. This was due mainly to the fact that we've been super busy, there hasn't been much to post about and I managed to get sick yet again - yuck! Here's hoping that I'll be healthy for the rest of the year as I am sooo sick of being sick!

Moving on ... I'm so excited - I've won a free blog makeover from Heather of "Digging A Hole To Chin a". A few months ago she won an award for 'best site design' as part of the Share the Love Blog Awards and held a drawing for all the people that voted for her. Well - wouldn't you know she pulled my name out of the hat and soon my blog will take on a great new look. I can't tell you how excited I am about this wonderful prize. I've wanted to give my blog a new look for the longest time and now with Heather's help it will one day happen. Thank you in advance Heather - this is gonna be great! I'd also like to thank Kim aka RedMaryJanes for alerting me to the fact that I won in the first place. Oh happy day!!!

On the adoption front we are still waiting on our log-in-date (LID). Our agency said it could be awhile before we know the actual date - but I'm hopeful that it has happened already and we just don't know it yet. I'll be jumping for joy/shouting from the rooftop once we know for sure and can't wait to post about that momentous date :-)

That's all for now folks - time to start thinking about all the ways Heather can pimp my blog!

Do You Yahoo???

2007-03-14T15:29:00.000-05:00

How exciting - I've joined my first "Yahoo Group". This is uncharted territory for me and I was a little nervous at first - but I soon discovered that there's nothing to it. If all goes well, we should have a March 2007 LID (log-in-date) so, I joined the 'March 2007 DTC Yahoo Group'. The group was created for all those people that will either be DTC in March or have a March LID.

It seems like new people are joining each day and it is great to "meet" everyone. I really enjoy the fact that there are newbies like us in the group along with others that have been there - done that. How nice that we can all get to know each other and share our experiences. Who knows, we may even be in China with some of these families and get to meet them face to face. How exciting would that be!

We are an international group and along with many families throughout the US, we also have 2 families from Australia and 1 family from Sweden. I can't wait to see who joins next. I also can't wait for the fun swaps and secret pal gift exchanges that will not only help pass the time - but help us get to know one another even more.

So, do you Yahoo? If you are interested in joining our group click on the link below - it is bound to be a super great time.

Click to join March2007DTC

So English Isn't My Best Subject

2007-03-01T21:55:00.000-06:00

So don't I feel like a complete idiot??? I was informed by an anonymous comment that all this time I have been spelling "wonton" incorrectly. Oops - grammar/spelling have never been strong subjects for me, which was pointed out this evening. I apologize for using the word incorrectly - "wanton" and been changed to "wonton" and my blog address has been updated accordingly. You can now find us at www.wontonwishes.blogspot.com.

Moving on - HOLY SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are in the midst of one of the biggest snow storms to hit our area in a long time. My office closed at 12:30pm today and it was a slow drive home. I live about 20-minutes from the office and it took me an 1:15 hours to get home this afternoon. It is so bad here that they even closed the Mall of America. So far about 10.5 inches has come down and it is supposed to continue through the night. The wind is going to kick in a little later so it is going to get worse before it gets better. All I can say is thank goodness all we have to deal with is snow and drifting. I heard that very severe/deadly storms hit the south and east today. A tornado hit a school in Alabama and the destruction was horrible. My thoughts and prayers go out to those people right now. Here's hoping that the weather settles down and no other tornadoes drop from the sky.

With that said - I'm headed to bed. It is going to be messy commute tomorrow. Here's wishing you a safe, warm and peaceful evening.

DTC Baby - D! T! C!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-02-23T22:00:00.000-06:00

That's right - the moment we've been waiting for we are officially DTC (Dossier to China). To say we are on cloud 9 right now is an understatement. I'm just so excited I can hardly stand it. Oh happy day!!!!

We decided to celebrate this momentous occasion with a special dinner. Being that we just had Chinese food on Monday (to celebrate Chinese New Year) we decided to dine at Timberlodge. The food was super yummy but it was the dessert that really took the cake :-). It was an ice cream concoction with carmel, oreo crumbs, whipped cream and hot fudge. It was to die for, and I find myself craving it again right now. It was a great day, topped off with an excellent dinner, and one that I will remember for the rest of my life.

**Adoption Re-Cap**

Several people have asked me what all of this means - so I'll do my best to summarize below.

1. The "paperchase" is over.

2. Documents have gone to China.

3. Once they arrive they will be logged in at the CCAA.

4. In about a month we will be given an official "LID" (log-in-date).

5. The CCAA will eventually review our paperwork.

6. With fingers crossed we hope for a referral in 18 - 24+ months.

7. Upon acceptance we will travel approximately 6-8 weeks later.

Have I mentioned how excited I am to be finished with the paperchase? Looking back it really wasn't that bad - it just took longer than I expected. Oh well, that's how it goes I guess. At any rate, I also found out that we are being grouped with 2-3 other families. I was so excited to hear this. We are working with a small agency and I wasn't sure if we would travel with anyone else. If all goes well we will form a travel group of 4 and make the journey together. How exciting to be able to share our experiences with each other.

Ok - 2 major hurdles down and only a handful left. Look out "LID" here we come!

Getting Closer!!!!

2007-02-20T10:06:00.000-06:00

Although we celebrated a day late - we decided to welcome Chinese New Year with some of our favorite Chinese take-out. It was super yummy and really hit the spot, but then again when doesn't sweet and sour chicken work wonders? At any rate - the highlight of the evening was cracking open my fortune cookie and reading "good news will come from afar". I looked at Todd and told him that could only mean one thing - that our paperwork was coming back from Chicago. He agreed and it was decided that the fortune would be a life long keeper.

Fast forward to this morning at approximately 9:30am when I had this urge to call our agency. Actually, that fortune was stuck in my head and I couldn't stand it any longer - it was either call and check on the status of our paperwork or go nuts. So I called and hip hip hooray it's back!!!!!! Woo-hoo, our documents have come back safe and sound from the Chinese Consulate and are now waiting at our agency's office. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. The next step is "DTC" (dossier to China).

We are sooooooooooooo close. I am waiting for an update from our coordinator on when the paperwork will be officially sent and will update again when I know more. In the meantime I'm trying really hard to focus once again on work but it is very difficult. I swear this is worse than being a little kid at Christmas waiting to open presents. Yikers!

A Daughter Is...

2007-02-04T14:01:00.000-06:00

In my excitement to post last weekend about the arrival of our I-171H I neglected to mention how the shopping trip with the girls went. We had a wonderful time. How can you not when shopping is in your blood?

At any rate, one of our "must stop shops" was the Department 56 store at the Mall of America. As we walked into the store we came across a display of the most wonderful signs. They were designed by Sandra Magsamen, and are part of the "messages from the heart" collection. They were all wonderful and I think we spent about 20-minutes looking at/reading each one. The sign that instantly grabbed my attention is pictured at the right. It says "a daughter is someone who reaches for your hand and forever touches your heart." My mom bought it for me as a Valentine's Day treat and it will one day be displayed in our little girl's room. In the meantime, it sits on my desk at home and every time I look at it I smile. The saying has become one of my favorites.

On a separate note, our documents are currently being authenticated at the MN Secretary of State office. They should be finished on Monday/Tuesday and will then take a trip to Chicago where they will be certified at the Chinese Consulate. The process should take about 10-business days. When they return to our agency our photos will be added and our dossier will be ready to go. Keep your fingers crossed - if everything goes smoothly we should be "DTC" within the next 3 weeks. I can't wait :-)

Two Words - "It Came"!!!

2007-01-28T11:11:00.000-06:00

I already knew that this was going to be a great weekend. In fact, I had been looking forward to it for quite awhile. My mom/sister were in town with my niece & nephew in tow and the plan was "shop till you drop". You see, Mr. Todd is off on his annual ice fishing trip, so this weekend was all about good food, great shopping, a little HGTV and lots of laughing. We were bummed that my sister Kimberly couldn't make the trip - but she was with us in spirit so "girls weekend" was good to go.

All I can tell you is that this weekend went from "great" to "one of the best of my life" in a matter of 30 seconds flat. On Saturday morning, just before we were about to leave, I made my daily trek to the mailbox. I really wasn't expecting anything, and with it being so cold out, I didn't even bother to thumb through the mail until I was back inside. I shut the door, begin talking to my mom, started flipping through the mail and there it was - an envelope from the Department of Homeland Security. Oh my God - it was our I-171H. IT CAME!!!!!!!!!! I was so excited and nervous that I could hardly even breathe. I ripped open the envelope and started reading. I read it to myself, read it out loud and then I just started crying. I was so happy and over joyed at receiving this final piece of paper that all I could do was stand there in my kitchen as tears of joy streamed down my face. I was crying, my sister started crying, my mom started crying and then because he didn't know what else to do Baby Will started crying. What a site.

After doing my best to calm down I attempted to reach Todd who was sitting in an ice house on the middle of a lake somewhere on the Minnesota/Canada border. Mind you this was no easy task as Todd's cell doesn't work that far north. So the only way to reach my dear husband was through my dear brother-in-law. Unfortunately, by this time I had started crying again. When Brian answered the phone all I could get out in my trembling voice was "Hi Brian - it's K-k-kelly - can I p-p-please t-t-talk to T-T-Todd?". Bless his heart - he left the comfort of his warm fish house to find my husband. However, being that the cell service in the middle of a giant lake isn't the best all I could get out to Todd in my crying/trembling voice was "Hon - we got a letter from the Department of Homeland Security and it.....".

Oh blast it all. Of all the times to lose a signal. I can only imagine what Todd must have been thinking when the phone cut off leaving his crying wife in mid sentence. I didn't have to wait long however, because after about 2-minutes he called back and although I was cried through the entire conversation I managed to get out that our I-171H arrived and we had been given a "notice of favorable determination concerning application for advance processing of orphan petition". Todd's exact expression was "Sweet! What does that mean?". I think the fact that I was crying confused him so I told him that things were good, and I was crying happy tears. He proceeded to tell me not to cry - this was great news and he'd call me on Monday when his phone worked again. I think I also heard a "woo hoo" and an "I love you" in there as well, but by then the signal was lost again and our conversation was over.

I then called my sister Kimberly and the water works started all over again. But she made me laugh when after congratulating me she said "so when are you going to update your blog?". Well, Kimberly, this post is for you :-)

I honestly didn't think that I would be so emotional over receiving this piece of paper. I think the fact that we are racing to get our paperwork logged-in before May 1st, had something to do with it. Time is truly of the essence right now and I was so afraid that our I-171H wouldn't make it in time. I know that we still have quite a way to go before we are given an official "LID" - but this is one big hurdle that we can cross off our list and I can't wait to call our agency in the morning.

So, to sum things up - it was an EXCELLENT weekend. We shopped, ate, laughed, cried, watched a little HGTV and even though Todd wasn't here to share in my joy - I got to experience an adoption moment with my family and I wouldn't trade that for the world :-)

"Here Comes the Bride..."

2007-01-20T11:08:00.000-06:00

"Here Comes the Bride ..." that was the song I walked down the aisle to six years ago today. Yikers! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. I can honestly say that it in my mind it only seems like we've been married for 4 years. So, somewhere along the line I seem to have lost time. Oh well, at least that is better than the smart ass comment Todd made last night "it's been the best 20-years of my life" (ha ha ha). He received a good kick in the shins for that remark - I tell ya, such nonsense (lol). Seriously, though with each year that goes by all I really want to do is find the "rewind button" and do it all over again. In my mind the day was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing. As for the reception afterwards - even if no one else had fun, Todd and I had an absolute blast!

Like any married couple we've had our share of good times and bad, but when it's all said and done, I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else. So with that, I'll leave you with my top memories of our last 6-years together.

2001 - Year 1:
We discovered that combining "our things" really wasn't so bad. One side of the living room was designated "keep" and the other side "donate". It's not my fault if certain items (i.e., just about all of dear husband's stuff) found their way to the "donate" pile when no one was looking. We still wonder about that one :-)

2002 - Year 2:
The joys of home ownership! While decorating the exterior of our house for Christmas, "Mr. Computer" forgot that he left the hammer on top of the ladder. I believe that the law of physics states that with each action there is a separate and equal reaction - well that was proven true when the hammer crashed down on top of Todd's head and we spent the next hour and a half in urgent care getting stitches. I will say however, that the lights looked great once finished - but they haven't been put up since.

2003 - Year 3:
"Um hon - I don't have any clean clothes" - and suddenly, I'm no longer in charge of laundry in the Lienke household. It was perfect - almost like my fairy godmother was standing right there waving her magic wand and granting me a wish. I cannot stand to do laundry so when Todd offered, I immediately jumped at the chance. "Mr. Computer" aka "Mr. Tide Downy" is now in charge of all things laundry related and does a wonderful job! The clothes are not only clean, but folded nicely (or put on hangers) and brought upstairs for me to put away. I just loves me a laundry doing hubby!

2004 - Year 4:
Did someone mention a "mystery trip"???? The summer of '04 was spent touring small towns of Minnesota in search of anything strange and bizarre. We managed to see not only the world's largest "Jolly Green Giant" (Blue Earth, MN), but also the "Giant Ear of Corn" (Olivia, MN) and the "Big Ball of Twine" (Darwin, MN). Although I had a great time on these little day trips, I'm not so sure that dear hubby enjoyed them all that much. However, being the great sport that he is, he went along with it and smiled on cue at the many photo ops. Strange, but I think I've heard that in the summer of '07 and possibly '08 those joyous hours spent driving in a car to some unknown hole in the wall tourist spot will make a comeback. Buckle up baby - it's going to be a long drive!

2005 - Year 5:
The couple that gets sick together stays together. Christmas of '05 was the worst of our lives to say the least! We both managed to come down with the full blown flu (i.e., fever, body aches, chills, etc...) It struck while we were in Madison and to this day I have no idea how we managed to drive ourselves home. We made it though and spent the rest of the holidays in bed. It was so bad that we didn't even open our gifts until sometime in January when we were finally feeling better. Uggg!

2006 - Year 6:
The "Kelly Lienke Wife's Rules To Live By" was amended to include the phrase "Let's Paint!", and Todd quickly discovered that sometimes painting really means relocating the office, ripping up carpet, installing a new floor, buying new furniture, bedding, window treatments, a rug, accessories and of course actually painting. I will say this however, the master bedroom is fabulous and I'm so glad that I suggested we "paint" the room :-)

Well, that's all for now. I can't wait to see what's in store for us this year. It's year "lucky number 7" so I'm betting it's gonna be a good one. We seem to be off to a good start - after all, I already know that we will be DTC in '07, and if all goes we will also have a LID before the May 1 rule change. Woo Hoo!

Let's Play Tag!

2007-01-11T00:42:00.000-06:00

Oh - how exciting, this has never happened to me before. I've just been tagged by one of my bloggy friends Kristen! Well, after a very long day and night at the office, this was just the thing I needed to help me unwind and enjoy the evening. It has been great to read all of the posts from others in blog-world. Although I only follow a handful of blogs - I have to wonder just where this started, and how many people it has actually been sent too. Oh well - enough chit chat for now - on with the tag. Ready or not here we go :-)

A - Available or Taken:

Taken - looking back my heart was given to my husband sometime in the year 1996, but it took me until sometime in the year 2000 to wake-up and realize just what the heck was going on. I also think that being cornered in the kitchen by 3 all-knowing "Thompson" women, and having my hubby chase me across state lines may have factored into it just a bit.

B - Best Friend:

I have two, who just happen to be real-life sisters Theresa & Tena.

C - Cake or Pie:

Chocolate French Silk Pie from Bakers Square - it is to die for. I'm drooling right now.

D - Drink of Choice:

Diet Coke - I can't live without it - how else would I be able to start and/or make it through the day???

E - Essential Item You Use Everyday:

Like Kristen I have naturally curly hair, and I couldn't live without my ponytail holder and spiked curling iron type thing that actually blows hot air. Although the rest of my head may be completely out of control (hence the need for the ponytail holder) I can at least use the curling iron to straighten my bangs somewhat, and look half-way presentable.

F - Favorite Color:

Red - glorious red. Our kitchen is red, the TV cabinet is red, and until just recently we had a red bathroom.

G - Gummy Bears or Worms:

Oh - not a fan of anything gummy - but give me a peanut butter twix and I'm in heaven!

H - Hometown:

I grew up in Madison, WI - but currently live in Maple Grove, MN.

I - Indulgence:

A manicure and pedicure - I can't wait for summer when I can justify getting them again :-)

J - January or February:

I'd have to go with January as that is the month we were married.

K - Kids and Names:

We currently have one furry child and her name is "Noel". One day we hope to have a beautiful daughter and will let you know her name when she arrives :-)

L - Life Incomplete Without:

I'd have to agree with Kristen and say friends and family.

M - Marriage Date:

January 20, 2001.

N - Number of Siblings:

I have 2 younger sisters (Katie & Kimberly) as well as 3 step-sisters.

O - Oranges or Apples:

Apples all the way - bring on the Honeycrisps - yummy!

P - Phobias or Fears:

Snakes and spiders creep me out. I'm also terrified of dogs because they always bite me.

Q - Favorite Quote:

I came across this on a blog and have loved it ever since. "Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take - but by the number of moments that take your breath away".

R - Reason to Smile:

Every time I look at my nieces and nephews they make me smile. I also smile whenever I see families that have either just received referrals or come home with babies. I usually turn into a blubbering fool but it is so worth it.

S - Season:

Spring, summer and fall. Anything but winter - PLEASE!!!

T - Tag 3 People:

Lisa (although it looks like she is on vacation so it might be a bit before she participates), Julie (my MN "neighbor" and mommy to cutie pie Tess), and Lisa - Gracie's mom (because her blog was the first one I discovered, and I've been hooked ever since).

U - Unknown Fact About Me:

I once had friends convinced that I was a "trick rider" when the horse I was riding reared-up and started running wild. In reality it was one of my first times on a horse, I was completely freaked-out and when the horse reared, I fell to it's side, my legs got stuck in the stirrups and my hands tangled up in the reins. Thank God the horse finally decided to stop and I could get off the beast. It's a miracle I lived to tell about it.

V - Veggie You Don't Like:

Red beets N-E-V-E-R again will those things they call "veggies" come within 10' of my mouth.

W - Worst Habit:

It's a toss up between putting everything off to the last minute, or never being on time.

X - X-rays:

I really haven't had many - basically just at the dentist.

Y - Your Favorite Food:

Pasta - all kinds, all flavors, the more the better.

Z - Zodiac:

I was born in March and happy to be an Aries.

Thanks for the fun Kristen - have a great night!

Sick of Being Sick :-(

2007-01-07T20:19:00.000-06:00

Cough, cough, sneeze, sneeze, hack hack -- that has been the story of my life since last Tuesday. What a way to bring in the New Year! What started out as a mere twinge in my throat turned into the superbug from hell in less than 24-hours! I've managed to use up all my sick time for 2007 - and we are only 1 week in - yuck! Well, as my dear husband stated this evening, "at least she's vertical". I am - but not for long as tomorrow it's back to work. So armed with my new best friend - Mr. Puffs Plus, a bag full of cough drops and my extremely delightful "Barry White" voice (thank you Lisa for that description) I'll be back at it. Oh the joys of being sick.

I do feel like I'm on the mend though and have to thank "Mr. Computer" and our furry child for taking such good care of me. Noel has not left my side once this past week and when I cough she meows. I guess that is her way of saying "it's ok mommy - I'm here for you". So, now that I'm on the comeback trail, I hope that I'll be immune to any other nasty bugs that are still out there and can avoid them for at least another year. My wish for all of you is a happy and, perhaps more important, healthy 2007!

In Honor of Christmas - Elf Yourself!

2006-12-15T23:55:00.000-06:00

I hadn't planned on posting tonight. It has been a long week, and all I really wanted to do this evening was check a few blogs and turn in early for a long winters nap. But, before I could hit the hay "Mr. Computer" asked from across the room "Hon - wanna be elfed?", and that's all it took. So, here we are - just slightly after midnight and our entire family (furry child included) has gone through the process, and been turned into nothing other than crazy, dancing elves.

Now, I'm sure your asking yourself, what is this nutty, in need of sleep, woman rambling about? Well, here goes. OfficeMax created a website (www.elfyourself.com) in which you can upload a photo of yourself, or any family member for that matter, and turn them into dancing elves. Let me tell you, it is hilarious! I laughed so hard after the creation of each elf that I just about fell off my chair. If you have any interest, click on each of our "elf-selves" and watch the wonderment for yourself - it is quite a show. Ahh - good times, good times.

Alright, moving on - I waned to pass on this quick adoption update before I head off to bed. Our meeting with Ava on Tuesday was a breeze. In fact, she was only at our house for about 45-minutes. We reviewed our health/medical forms, our financial statement and the impending rule changes and that was it. Ava did her best to reassure us that "if it's meant to be it will happen", and promised to have our homestudy completed in short order. Let me tell ya - she's fast. I received the draft copy on Wednesday and after a few small changes it was done. I believe it is currently being reviewed by our agency and then off to BCIS it goes. Here's hoping that the Christmas and New Year holidays won't delay us too much. I can't wait for the day when our I-171H arrives in the mail. Little by little we're getting closer, now we just need to say some prayers that all goes well once the paperwork reaches the CCAA.

Well, I hate to post and run, but seeing as how I can hardly keep my eyes open, and I hear my bed calling it's time to call it a night. So, with that said - I'm off - nighty night - sleep tight :-)

Awaiting Ava :-)

2006-12-04T21:30:00.000-06:00

I am pleased to report that I sent off what I hope is our last bundle of paperwork to our agency this afternoon. Included were our photos, medical forms, financial statement and the formal letter to the CCAA requesting permission to adopt a child from China. With that task accomplished, I then placed a call to Ava and set up our final home visit. Hip hip hooray - she will be here next Tuesday at 7pm sharp. (Looks like I'll be a crazy cleaning fool this weekend - but no complaints on my end - I'll gladly clean anything at this point if it gets us one step closer to the end of the paperchase.)

So what does this all mean? Well, after we meet with Ava she will finish our homestudy. Once completed and approved - it will then be sent off to meet up with our fingerprints. After what I hope is a happy meeting, we will be issued our I-171H, the final document needed to complete our dossier. I've been told that the wait for this form could be 2 weeks to 3 months - so we'll see what happens. However, regardless of how long it takes, I'm just happy that we are once again moving forward! In fact, I'm doing a mini happy dance as I'm typing this update.

Moving away from our adoption journey - I was just informed by "Mr. Computer" that this is the warmest our house will be until 6:00am tomorrow morning. In an effort to conserve energy and cut back on our heating bill we've decided to utilize our programmable thermostat. With that said the new schedule is as follows:

6:00am - 7:30am the house will be a nice toasty 70 degrees.
7:30am - 4:30pm it will drop to a crisp 57 degrees.
4:30pm - 10:00pm we're getting warmer at 65 degrees.
10:00pm - 6:00am its back down to a brisk 57.

According to my loving & hot blooded hubby Lienke's, being native Minnesotans, are built to withstand the winter elements so this is nothing. I guess that means it's time to "Lienke Up" and get used to the cold- after all as Todd nicely reminded me, "that's what blankets and sweatshirts were made for". I think it's going to be a long winter :-)

Attention Katie & Kimberly - if you are reading this post there is no need to panic. According to the "Kelly Lienke Wife's Rules To Live By" - rule number 205 reads as follows:

"When the number of sisters in one house is greater than the number of husbands, 'wife law' controls and the thermostat will be reset to accommodate our needs - whether they be for additional heating or cooling".

So, rest assured you won't need to pack a sub-zero parka and mittens on your next visit. But speaking of that, being that it is now 10:45pm and the temperature in our house is dropping at a very rapid rate it is time for me to head to bed, and snuggle under warm flannel sheets. I can no longer feel my fingers as I type, and oh my gosh - I think a pack of snowmobiles just went racing through our living room. Night all :-)

We Visited, We Ate, I Shopped!

2006-11-25T19:32:00.000-06:00

I can hardly believe that another Thanksgiving has come and gone. It seems like it was just Halloween, and in a blink of an eye Christmas will be upon us. Yikers! How time does fly.

We spent Thanksgiving with Todd's family in Pemberton (a small town just slightly southeast of Mankato, MN). The entire family was there and it was great to catch up with everyone. I can't believe how big our nieces and nephews are getting. Crazy! What I also can't believe is the huge amounts of food that I managed to cram into my mouth. The afternoon started with deviled eggs, a veggie tray and relish tray. Once that food was consumed we sat down to dinner where we feasted on: turkey, ham, beef, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, green bean casserole, baked beans, wild rice soup, salad, homemade biscuits, creamed corn, and of course the dish no Thanksgiving would be complete without - the cranberries :-) I think we all stuffed ourselves to the brim, and then - just about the time you think you can't possibly eat one more bite, out came dessert. Oh my gosh - there were pumpkin pies, a blueberry pie, a nutty/pumpkin dessert and pumpkin bars. I don't think I'll ever be able to eat again. Yum! Yum!

Once the meal was over and the dishes put away, the conversation turned to what else - shopping and the "after Thanksgiving sales". I have been telling myself for the last week that there was no way I was getting up at 4am to battle the crowds in town. But, once the ads came out I was powerless to stop it. The "thrill of the shop" took over, and before I knew it, there we were, sitting at the dining room table pouring over the ads, making our lists and laying down the game plan for the next day.

We left the house at 4:30am and made it into the Shopko parking lot at 5am just as the store was opening. It was a madhouse. The sea of people was amazing - but the fabulous deals were even better. From there it was on to Menards, Michaels and Kohls. By noon we were finished. There were bargains galore, and I was in my element! I managed to cross quite a few people off my x-mas list and can't wait to get wrapping. What a day!!!

Here's hoping your Thanksgiving was filled with lots of family, wonderful food and tons of fun. Gobble - gobble :-)

"Why I Chose You"

2006-11-07T21:02:00.000-06:00

So we are currently stuck in "paperchase" mode waiting for my medical form to come back from the doctor. Why is it that Todd's doctor can have his form/labs back in less than 4 days, and I'm still waiting for my information to arrive??? Today officially marks 2 weeks and I am getting impatient. I mean really - they office out of the same location and have access to the same lab so what is the problem??? Did I not make myself clear when I stated in no uncertain terms "this is time sensitive information, and I need it 'yesterday'!? The doc has until Friday to get his stethoscope in gear or else! All I can do now is sit here stewing, hope it arrives in the mail tomorrow and borrow this phrase from my mom "Great - Just Great"!

Moving on to more pleasant things, I just happened to be in Target this evening (surprise, surprise) and stumbled upon this awesome book. It is called "Why I Chose You" and although it was in an out -of-the-way spot, the title made me stop the cart in mid turn so I could get a closer look. After reading the subtitle, "100 Reasons Why Adopting You Made Us a Family", I had it in my hands and was flipping through the pages faster than you could blink an eye. I fell in love with the book almost immediately and it is now sitting next to me as I type this message.

The book is by author Gregory E. Lang and celebrates families that have been made complete through adoption. The phrases and photos are beautiful, and of course made me cry as I read through it. This will fast become a favorite book in our house, and I guarantee it will be read often. Although I found my copy in Target, it is also available through amazon.com. Feel free to "click here" for additional information. Happy reading :-)

It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!

2006-10-30T11:04:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was a busy one and while a good time was had by all, it was also a lot of work. On Saturday my company hosted an annual Halloween Treat Parade at one of the shopping centers we own in Coon Rapids. I was the event coordinator, and as a result have beeen eating, breathing and sleeping Halloween for quite some time. In fact, as Todd and I were babysitting the pumpkin patch on Friday night all I could think of was "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". There we were Todd (aka Linus) and myself (aka Sally) sitting in our mini-van watching tv and passing b y the hours remembering past Halloweens, and all of the fun we had as kids trick-or-treating. With each bump in the night we had to wonder - robbers stealing the loot? Unruly kids? Or is it possible, could it be - The Great Pumpkin?? Negatory - in all cases it was only the wind, but for just a moment it was a fun thought.

The event itself was a HUGH success and I was really pleased with not only the turnout, but the overwhelming response from the tenants, parents and kids that participated. On a side note, I was also happy to get my living room back as it no longer needed to play host to a sea of treat bags.

I would like to give a special thanks to all of the family members that helped assemble the goodie bags, and a BIG THANKS to my hubby. I couldn't have done it without all of your help. Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you for helping make 2006 the best yet - I really appreciate it!!! May your Halloween be happy, safe and over flowing with lots of yummy treats! Enjoy!

Create Your Own!

1 Little, 2 Little, 10 Little Fingerprints!

2006-10-18T21:48:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. Who would have thought that getting an envelope from the "Department of Homeland Security" would actually bring a smile to my face? I was doing the happy dance today when I discovered that little bit of mail peeking out at me from amongst all the bills and junk we receive on a daily basis. Yipee - our I600A was received and our fingerprint appointments are set-up.

"Attention, may I have your attention please - Mr. & Mrs. Lienke, the United States Government has requested the honor of your presence in our St. Paul office October 27th at exactly 2:00pm sharp - don't be late!"

The letter was very official looking, and unlike when we actually had to go to jail (yes, the actual jail - where they keep the criminals and everything) for our local fingerprint escapade - I'm really excited about this appointment. I guess in my mind receiving that letter, and having our fingerprints sent to the FBI makes this entire process seem real to me. I know - you are probably saying "knock knock puddin' head - this entire process has been real", but for me this makes it even more so. You may think it strange - but this feels like the first "official" step that we've had to take (I think because the government is involved), and I'm very excited to be ticking it off the list. So, even though I'm dreading our doctor appointments on 10/24 - at least while the docs are doing their thing I can look forward to being printed come Friday :-)

Container Junkie I Am!

2006-10-15T15:05:00.000-05:00

For those of you that know me well, you know that I go ga ga for anything resembling a container or compartment. I don't know where this fascination/obsession came from - it has just always been there. Turn me loose in a container store and it's like watching a kid in a candy store - my wallet doesn't stand a chance. So, you can imagine my delight when I discovered that the grocery store - yes, I said it, the grocery store, can now be added to my list of favorite compartment hot spots.

Ok, so here's how it went down. In one of my weak moments, Todd actually convinced me to go to this dreaded house of food goods, and I made it in only half kicking and screaming. There we were going down the cookie/cracker aisle when what caught my eye - all of these cute containers. I mean what paperchasing mom-to-be wouldn't want/need individual containers for Cheerios, Oreos, Teddy Grahms, Ritz Crackers and Goldfish? So, in the cart they went and when the time comes, our little girl will have all the yummy snacks she could ever want - each in their own little compartment.

You 'Otta Be In Pictures!

2006-10-07T15:24:00.000-05:00

I'm pleased to report that this week I was able to cross yet another item off of the "dossier required paperwork" list - PICTURES!!!!! In addition to photos of our house and pictures of us just being ourselves, we also have to submit a 5x7 picture of the two of us that the CCAA will use to help match us with a baby.

Needless to say, photographers we are not. However, I was bound and determined that we do it ourselves and save the money it would have cost for a professional sitting fee. So, after changing our clothes, combing our hair, and in my instance putting on lipstick we were ready to go.

We decided the best place to take the picture was on the steps leading down to our basement. That way we could rest the camera on the ledge, Todd could stand on one step and I could stand on the step above him. Sounds simple enough right? Well, I think had anyone been filming us we would definitely have won money on "America's Funniest Home Videos". Let me tell ya - it was a site to behold.

"Mr. Computer" was in charge of the camera, and as you can see in "take one", had yet to master the automatic timer. With the timer issue resolved we move on to "take two" (um – no explanation needed here – can anyone say “zoomed in a little close!”). We're getting closer in "take three" and finally voila’ - the piece de resistance - the photo we will be submitting as part of our dossier package.

Now, you may be thinking to yourselves – wow it only took 4 takes for them to get a final shot – not bad! Well, that’s not the whole story. Turns out, Todd didn’t have the camera on the highest quality setting so after cropping the picture, retouching the color ever so slightly and finally getting to the point where I could upload it for printing I was DENIED! “No Photo For You!” (Think ‘Soup Nazi’ from Seinfeld.) Turns out the quality wasn’t high enough to print a 5x7 so – we had to start all over again.

By now it’s midnight at the Lienke household and when we should have been getting ready for bed we were once again donning our lovely clothes, fixing our hair and in my instance applying lipstick so that we could “smile pretty for the birdie” and take another round of pictures. Long story short (I know, too late) the final picture (and the journey to capture it) will forever more have a special place in my heart :-)

Target ROCKS!!!

2006-10-01T13:45:00.000-05:00

So, I just happened to be at Target this weekend and well, I guess I went a tad bit nuts. I think it is because fall is in the air and with the change of seasons comes the need to buy stuff :-) At any rate, I grabbed a cart and headed for one of my favorite sections of the store "the dollar spot". I can only imagine the look of joy on my face when I noticed that one entire section was dedicated to all things "Asian". (Actually, it was probably a good thing that no one else was in the aisle with me at the time - b/c I'm pretty sure they would have been run down by my shopping cart in my haste to get closer to those fun items.) At any rate, I found a cute stationary set, wine bottle holder with wine glass charms, traveling jewelry box and necklace/earrings. I was in shopping heaven! The items were all 2 for $5.00 and I'm really tempted to go back for more. I am using the wine bottle cozy to house a bottle of champange that Todd and I will open on Referral Day. I currently have it sitting on my desk as motivation to keep the paperchase moving. (Side note on paperchase - we are making great progress. In fact we only have a few more forms to complete and then it is hurry up and wait for our medical appointments.)

Well, after that it was off to the infant/toddler section of the store, and while I normally just look - today I just couldn't resist buying a few items for our little girl. I really love the "Ten Little Ladybugs" book that some how found its way into the cart, and have wanted to add that to our library for quite some time. All of the rest of the items are being carefully put away until we bring our little one home.

Although I was really excited about my finds - "Mr. Computer" just gave me the look that said "umm isn't it a little premature to be buying this stuff?" The answer is of course "yes", but sometimes a girl just has to shop. However, that answer didn't fly with my hubby and I have since been made to raise my right hand and swear that going forward I will restrain myself from buying any baby related items. I further understand that it is too soon to make these purchases because after all, we don't even have a "LID" yet, etc., etc., etc.,. All I can say is technically what he says does make sense, and yes, I understand where he is coming from - but sometimes rules are meant to be broken. So while my right hand was raised, my left hand was actually hidden behind my back with my fingers crossed :-) Did I mention that Target Rocks!!!!

"Are You Ready for Some Football???"

2006-09-30T20:28:00.000-05:00

Have you ever experienced a day where you can't seem to get a song out of your head? You know the feeling, it plays over and over and over again like a broken record, and no matter how hard you try and make it stop it just keeps playing? Well, I am currently in song repeat hell. All day long the theme song from "Monday Night Football" has been playing non-stop! Yikers - it is enough to drive a person nuts!!!

At least there's a good reason for song overload :-) Last night Todd and I made the trip down to Northfield, MN to watch our nephew Jarred play football under the Friday night lights. He is in 6th grade and plays for what I call the "Northfield Raiders Blue Team". How cool that his team and 3 others, were able to play a mini-game during the varsity team half-time. It was perfect football weather, and although his team lost 7-0, we had a great time watching the game and catching up with everyone.

Jarred did a SUPER GREAT JOB, and in my opinion has a very bright football future ahead of him. Uncle Todd made the comment on the drive home that "Jarred will do the Lienke name proud". All I can say is just wait - once Jarred arrives on the high school football scene those other teams won't stand a chance. Go Raiders!!!

In an effort to capture as much of the game on film as possible, I turned into a crazy, picture taking, fool. Unfortunately in my haste to get a ton of shots (blasted camera wouldn't work as fast as I wanted it too) a bunch of the pictures turned out blurry. Oh well, I did manage to get a few good ones. Click on the picture set below to see a slide show of last night's big game.

Captions are as follows:
(Jarred, Jarred & friend Skylar, Playing hard, Still playing, Welcoming back the Varsity Team, Taylor & Aleya - our cheerleaders, Aunt Sharon with Taylor, Aleya in helmet :-), Taylor & Savanna, and finally Uncle Todd with Savanna)

Making Progress!

2006-09-27T21:46:00.000-05:00

What a difference 2 days can make! I'm happy to report that I am winning the "adoption paperwork game", and am only 2 days away from a Target treasure :-) In the last 2 days I've managed to send 2 envelopes of paperwork off to our agency, have additional passport photos taken and overnight requests for birth certificate/marriage certificate certification to the WI Secretary of State. Woo hoo!!!!

Switching gears totally, I just have to tell you how excited I am for Mary-Mia and Rod of "Do They Have Salsa In China?". Today they not only received their consulate appointment, but also found out that they leave for China on October 20th! Just think - in less than a month they will meet their twin daughters and become a forever family. I can't wait to follow along on their incredible journey.

Baby Steps!

2006-09-25T22:19:00.001-05:00

Well, my grand plan of diving into the paperwork this weekend didn't go quite how I wanted. (This really shouldn't come as a surprise - nothing in our house ever goes according to plan.) However, all is not lost. I did manage to crack open the "China binder" that we received from our agency and page through it. Turns out, we aren't as far behind as I thought, and I was actually able to cross a few things off the list. (Isn't it amazing how one little check mark can make your day???)

At any rate, in an effort to keep us on track I've decided to play the "adoption paperwork game". The goal of the game is to complete one adoption related item each day this week (baby steps). At the end of the week (Friday) the winner (me of course - my game/my rules) will win a fabulous trip to Target and/or Wal-Mart where I can purchase one small item for our little girl. I'm not quite sure what the item will be - but you never know what treasures are hiding in the aisles just waiting to be purchased.

I'm off to a great start - today I managed to make doctor appointments for both Todd and myself. They are scheduled for October 24th - so a little ways off - but I'm not going to argue - we've got appointments. I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring - but I can tell you that by the end of the day I'll be one step closer to my Target/Wal-Mart run on Friday :-) !!!

"Now Was That Really Sooooo Bad???!"

2006-09-20T22:15:00.000-05:00

Those were the words of "Mr. Computer" last night after we finished our first homestudy visit. Ok, ok, I will admit that I was a tad bit stressed out prior to the visit. Actually, I was a crazy cleaning fool, and went on a major "spring cleaning" rampage. I even managed to have the carpets professionaly cleaned (they look great by the way). I would have kept going but Todd drew the line at repainting the house, and insisted that I take a deep breath and just relax. He said everything would be fine and in the end it was. We both really like Ava and feel very comfotable having her as our social worker.

The visit began around 7:30pm and Ava left just before 10:00pm. I thought it went well, and consider the evening a success. She covered a wide variety of topics (i.e., childhood/growing up years, parent sibling relationships, how we met/our marriage, our experience with children/ parenting styles, why China, and the list goes on and on). I'm surprised her fingers didn't fall off - I haven't seen anyone take notes like that since I was in college :-) - YIKERS - I hope she got it all!

What came as somewhat of a surprise to us was the fact that we only have one more face-to-face visit with her. The "adoption class" we attended on 9/11, and the information session we attended at our agency both count as "visits". So, 3 down and 1 to go.

We now need to shift our focus to the mountain of paperwork that is hiding in the corner saying "fill me out, fill me out". One of my primary goals for the weekend is to delve into the China specific paperwork and get a good start on it. We have both been super busy at work and running on the weekends so I feel like we are lagging behind somewhat. Todd doesn't know it yet - but after the Viking game Sunday I'm going to hide all of the remote controls and chain him to his desk. I'll consider it a win if I can get his attention for a good hour and a half/two hours. (For those of you that don't know Todd - he LOVES football so I might be taking my life into my own hands by trying to get him to fill out paperwork when there is a game on.) Oh well, it is a necessary evil - wish me luck ;-) I'm gonna need it!

Our Adoption Timeline

2006-09-17T14:44:00.008-05:00

08/18/06
*Met with IAS & turned in our agency application.

08/23/06
*Agency approved!!!!

08/30/06
*Let the paperchase begin - received binder 1 of 2.

09/11/06
*Still chasing - received binder 2 of 2.
*IAS adoption class.

09/19/06
*First interview/home visit with our social worker Ava.

10/11/06
*Mailed I600A - finally!

10/24/06
*Medical appointments for Todd & Kelly

10/27/06
*Finger printing for I600A

10/31/06
*Paper chasing & in the home stretch

12/12/06
*Second interview/home visit with our social worker Ava.

12/14/06
*Homestudy completed

12/22/06
*Homestudy sent to BCIS

1/27/07
*Received I-171H

1/29/07
*Authentication by MN Secretary of State

2/7/07 - 2/16/07
*Document certification in Chicago

2/23/07
*DTC!!!!!!!!!!!!

3/21/07
*LID - Oh Happy Day!!!!!!

5/18/08
*Updated homestudy with Ava

06/13/08
*Mailed I-600A "free renewal" request

07/02/08
*Updated fingerprints for I-600A "free renewal"

07/22/08
*Received I-171H renewal (1-time free extension)

02/02/09
*The CCAA box changed & March-2007 is out of review :-)

09/17/09
*Received pkg. from IAS to complete updated homestudy

09/18/09
*Fingerprinted for Adam Walsh background check

10/19/09
*Updated HS info & payment mailed to IAS

11/10/09
*Updated home vist with Ava

12/1/09
*Mailed I-600A "grandfathered renewal" request

01/08/10
*Re-fingerprinted for I-600A "grandfathered renewal"

02/01/10
*Received I-600A "grandfathered renewal" - approved again :-)

?????
*Awaiting Referral :-)

Testing, Testing 1-2-3

2006-09-17T14:42:00.001-05:00

I have officially entered blog world and this is my first successful post. I have to admit that I'm very excited to have taken this step. Here's hoping that some day I'll figure out how to add a few of the bells and whistles that I've seen on other sites. My biggest struggle to date - I know exactly what I want this blog to look like - but due to the fact that the computer and I don't speak the same language - breaking through the communication barrier has been somewhat of a struggle. Luckily, "Mr. Computer" is here to help and has agreed to act as my translator. I consider this first post a major victory, and just have to say, "I'm on my way - there's no turning back now".

Switching gears - this blog was created as a way to track our progress as we jump into International Adoption head first. It is going to be an incredible journey and I'm happy to be able to share our experience with everyone. So settle in and get ready, because it's going to be a very l-o-n-g wait until our little girl is home and our "forever family" is complete.

Adoption Re-Cap

Todd and I decided to adopt in the spring of 2006.
After looking at several agencies we settled on International Adoption Services (IAS).
We attended information sessions on Guatemala and China.
We decided on China.
Our agency application was submitted in August.
Catherine, our China Coordinator confirmed that China was a go!
The paper chase has begun.
We are currently preparing for our first home visit.
If all goes well, we hope to have our dossier submitted by the middle of December.
Once our dossier is logged-in the wait begins.
We wait and wait and wait :-)
With fingers crossed - we hope to travel to China late spring of 2008.